Timestones and Wizards and Serts Oh, My!
by Antithesis
Summary: My abandoned continuity. Writing is good at times, lousy at others. I went through a lot of experiments in writing this, and I think it's twisted beyond repair. Read at your own risk.
1. Why Didn't We Think Of This Before?

**Why Didn't We Think Of This Before?**

Sonic and all related elements are (c) Sega and Archie Comics. I am not affiliated with these parties, nor do I desire to. 

This story is ©2001 MC Bomberman, all rights reserved. May not be freely distributed. 

* * *

Sally did not like what she was seeing. It was almost as if Shadow had had a tracking device when he escaped to Knothole, but he hadn't. Nevertheless, there was a squadron of robots heading in a straight line towards Knothole. Grabbing Nicole, she ran to get Geoffrey St. John, the head of the Secret Service. 

St. John was busy taking care of a very important task: cleaning his nails. He was thus occupied when Sally ran in. 

"Geoffrey!" she yelled. "We're under attack!" 

Geoffrey sighed. "No, we're not. If there were an attack, my spy network would have heard of it. I know of no such attack; therefore, we are safe." He continued his beauty work. 

"But I have readouts from Ni-" 

"Princess," he groaned, "don't bother me unless it's something important." As an afterthought, he added, "And don't leave the palace, either. You know your father doesn't want you associating with the riffraff..." 

Sally had already stormed out. 

* * *

Shadow was bored stiff. He was sitting in a small room where a teacher was trying to teach him. So far, he was halfway through the fourth grade, not bad for just one morning. At first, he was excited about increasing his mental capacity, but now he couldn't believe how bored he was. The teacher had realized this and was giving him a ten minute break. Shadow was lazily looking out the window when a gleam of metal caught his eye. No, it wasn't a Robian (robotisized Mobian); it had looked more like a spy orb. Telling his teacher he'd be right back, he ran outside. 

He ran around town aimlessly, keeping his eyes peeled for that... thing. Without warning he ran into Sally. 

"Oh, sorry, Princess!" he said hastily. "I thought I saw a spy orb out the window; do you have..." 

He stopped as Sally picked herself up, looked past Shadow, and began charging the Sword of Acorns, which she had evidently been carrying. "Shadow," she whispered, "duck." Quickly, he crouched down as she fired a jet-blue stream of energy over his head. He turned around to see the spy orb on the ground, smoking. 

"Oh, great. It must have followed me here last night..." Shadow said. He turned to Sally and said, "I'm really sorry; I didn't know-" 

She cut him off. "I understand. There's nothing you can do about it now. Now come on, Eggman's already sent his army, and we've got to get the crew out of class." 

* * *

Science was more boring than ever. Since Nate Morgan, their normal teacher, had been robotisized, they were stuck with a substitute that didn't know anything! All he could do was read out of the book, which is what he was doing. Between the "teacher's" incessant talking and Mina's incessant whispering, Sonic almost fell asleep countless times, but every time Bunnie would press her cold metal hand to his face and wake him up. 

Suddenly, "class" was disrupted by Shadow yelling in the town square just outside the school. Sonic couldn't make out all of it, but it sounded like Robotnik was attacking the village. 

It didn't sound like he was getting a very good reception, but Tails seized the opportunity and raised his hand. When the "teacher" called on him, he asked in his cutest voice, "'Teacher, may we please be excused to save the world?'" 

The substitute replied, "I thought you were too old for that, Miles. No, you may not." 

Almost on cue, the PA system cut on: "Teachers, please pardon the interruption. Will the following students please report to the office: Sonic Hedgehog, Tails Prower, Bunnie Rabbot, Rotor Walrus, Amy Rose, and Mina Mongoose." 

All six quickly ran out of the room, with Tails flashing a smug glance at the "teacher" on the way out. 

* * *

Elsewhere on Mobius, the Floating Island to be exact, Knuckles was making yet another journey into the unknown. "So, where are we going this time, Archimedes?" 

The fire ant grinned. "Do you remember how the Dark Legion were first defeated?" 

"Yeah. The guardian, oh, what's-his-name, Steppenwolf, opened a portal to another dimension and sent them through it." 

"Do you remember how he opened it?" 

"He... oh... it had something to do with the emerald..." 

"Right. He learned, from the fire ants no less, how to focus its energy telepathically. With his mind. He couldn't do much but open portals, though, since most of its power was holding up the island. But," Archimedes added with a mischievous grin, "you've got a spare!" 

* * *

"Y'all might not wanna get on that sub's bad side, Tails," Bunnie said. "Ya never know how long we'll have him." 

Tails just shrugged as the Freedom Fighters arrived at the office where Sally was waiting. "Good, you're all here. No doubt you've heard Shadow yelling in the streets. Now come on; we don't have much time before the 'bots get within firing range." 

"Um, Sally, how are we going to do this?" Mina asked. "No offense, but we aren't exactly a match for a squadron of robots." 

Sally just cast a sidelong glance at Mina, then said to the group, "I can set up a reflective shield using the Sword. Once we... hang on. Let's go outside and get Shadow, then we'll discuss the plan." 

* * *

Robo-Robotnik was as giddy as an evil dictator could be. His plan had been so simple, how could it have failed? When Shadow had escaped yesterday, he had simply sent a spy orb after him to Knothole. He had gambled on him going straight to Knothole and not checking behind him for spies. Since Shadow had essentially been born yesterday, he had acted as Robotnik had predicted. When the orb finally registered another life form, Robotnik forgot all the day's troubles for he had found Knothole!

"Snively, get the biggest battle squadron you can; we've got a town, er, city to level!" he yelled to Snively, changing his mind when he saw all the new buildings the Acorns had built: the new castle, the school, the prison, everything. 

Getting a sudden idea, he ran to a window on the east side of his command tower. Slowly opening it, he nearly punched himself in the face. 

The top of the castle was clearly visible over the trees. 

"SNIVELY!" he bellowed, "GET YOUR censored UP HERE NOW!!!" 

"What is it sir?" he asked five minutes later, out of breath. 

"WHY THE censored DIDN'T WE censored> SEE THAT censored> CASTLE BEFORE, censored> IT!" 

"Well, sir, maybe we just didn't, um, look out this window?" 

"DON'T GIVE ME A censored> EXCUSE!!!" 

"Well, don't blame me, sir-" 

"I CAN censored> BLAME WHOEVER I censored> WANT TO!!!" 

Anyway, that didn't go over well. But that was yesterday, this was today. Robotnik's squadron of ComBots were about an hour away from Knothole, and the mad scientist/evil dictator/demented robotisized overlander/Eggman was savoring every minute of it. 

* * *

"According to this scope, the troops are only about an hour away." The Freedom Fighters were standing around Sally, waiting for instructions. "Now, once we get there: Sonic, Mina, Tails, and Shadow, you four will..." Sally quickly laid out her plan. It wasn't the best ever; in fact, it was of the worst. But for right now, it was all they had... 

* * *

"You're a very fast learner, Knuckles!" 

"Thanks, Archimedes." 

The emerald that Knux was using was a spare he had received long ago. He and Sonic had stumbled across a hidden grotto filled with power rings and chaos emeralds. Naturally, he and Sonic got in a fight: Sonic became Super Sonic and Knuckles became Hyper Knuckles. Unfortunately, their massive energy output had caused the grotto to implode, but some emeralds survived, one of which Knuckles now held. Since he had already bonded with it once, he found it surprisingly easy to control. 

Archimedes realized this and made a proposal. "I think it's time you learned how to conjure a portal." 

"You mean like the one Steppenwolf used?" 

"Mm-hmm." 

Kunx and Archimedes exchanged mischievous looks. 

* * *

Sonic, Tails, Shadow, and Mina led the charge. They were the fastest, so they were sent to intercept the army and find out if Robotnik himself was leading it. 

"I should let you know," Shadow began, "that Robotnik has a new weapon." 

"And that would be...?" Sonic asked. 

"Somehow he's integrated the robotisizer into his body." 

"WHAT?!" Sonic and Tails stopped in surprise, which caused Shadow and Mina, who hadn't stopped, to double back. 

Once they were together, Shadow continued. "All he has to do is touch you, and Boom! You're robotisized." 

"How do you know?" Mina asked. 

"He threatened me by robotisizing an overlander right in front of me. I also saw a video clip of his first testing it." 

"Alright," Sonic said, taking hold of the situation. "Mina, you run back and tell Sal about this; you two, let's keep going." 

Mina had no time to argue, for they were already gone. Heaving a large sigh and making a face, she turned back to warn the other group. 

* * *

"Ya know, Arc?" 

"What?" 

"I'm getting a strong urge to brag." 

"Pride comes before the fall, Knux..." 

"Well, can I at least let the guys at Knothole know?" 

"I don't see any harm in that. Just be careful about what you do; you're not quite at a consistent level of skill yet." 

* * *

Tails, Shadow, and Sonic had arrived. As was the custom, insults were hurled before the "armies" began tearing each other apart. 

"So, Shadow, you have decided to rebel against your creator?" Robotnik began. 

Shadow's reply was like ice. "I don't belong to you; all you did was drop an emerald in a console. You didn't create anything." 

"Oh, Mr. Eggman?" Tails called in as innocent a voice he could make, which was fast becoming not-so-innocent. 

"What, Rodent?" 

"Are you the walrus?" 

"Oh, no." 

"Oh, come on, be honest." 

"I hate that song," Sonic muttered. 

"Enough with these censored> delays, twits; I've got a town to level." 

"Now just a minute you pompous old windbag!" Sonic defiantly yelled. "You're not going a step further unless I say so!" 

All one thousand ComBots pointed their guns at Sonic. 

"And I say you can." Sonic said quickly as he ran back into the safety of the forest, Shadow and Tails close behind. 

* * *

To make a long, drawn-out story short, the two armies met at a standstill. Sally managed to use the Sword of Acorns, a magic sword passed down through the family, to form a shield around the Freedom Fighters. On the other hand, the few robots that Rotor took out using a gun he pulled out of his shop hardly made a dent in Eggman's legion. Time was running out as Sally began to lose concentration and the sword's glow began to fade... 

"JULIAN, SON OF IVO, PREPARE TO BE EXILED!" a voice yelled from behind the Freedom Fighters. They all turned to see none other than Knuckles, hovering five feet above the ground with a chaos emerald hovering between his hands. "Let down your shield, Sally; I got you covered," he said more quietly. 

Sally showed no sign of letting up, and Knux sighed. "People never change," he muttered. Looking up at the army, he made a face as the emerald between his hands began to glow. An instant later a green light flooded the area. When it cleared, the army was gone. 

Eggman was in a panic. Quickly he turned his hovercraft to retreat back to Robotropolis, but another green flash disabled it. With dread he turned to face Knuckles... 

There was fire in his eyes. He walked up to Robotnik and a green light surrounded the doctor. From where Sonic sat, he couldn't tell what Knux was saying, but it didn't sound like anything this author would write down. After a while, Knux motioned for Sally to come over. 

"His terminal inputs are here and here," he said to her. "You should be able to plug Nicole in and find out if he has any spare robotic bodies and if so, where he's keeping them." Sally did so, and Nicole quickly found the location. Sally sent Sonic, Tails, and Shadow out to destroy them. This done, Knux called back to the Freedom Fighters, "Grab on to a tree or something; you don't want to get blown away." 

They found out why soon enough. In the air behind Robo-Robotnik, something like a rip opened up, and strong wind began blowing toward it. 

"It" was a portal, and Robotnik knew it. No longer paralyzed, he grabbed onto the thing he could find. Being a robot, his eyes were expressionless, but nevertheless, he knew his hour had come. Or had it... 

"Farewell, Robotnik," Knuckles yelled over the howl of the wind, "and I bet no one there isn't a single person who's sorry to see you go!" 

His response shocked everyone. A wide grin shot across his face as he let go. As he was flying into the portal, he yelled back, "You have just sealed your children's fate, rodents!" 

No one knew, or cared then, what he meant by that. As Knuckles closed the portal, the reality sunk in: Robotnik was gone. Provided, of course, that Sonic and company were successful. 

* * *

Sonic wasted no time. Since he knew where the secret room was, he didn't bother going through the command center; he drilled straight down to it. Shadow and Tails followed. What they saw both amazed and horrified them: a circular room filled with an assortment of robotic bodies. Some were short and squat, some were tall and muscular, but only one was missing. "Eggman," whispered Tails. 

Then, in a scene worthy of a 50's horror movie, all of the robots flickered to life. Robotnik was not inside any of them; instead, he had programmed them to kill anyone and everyone in their path, starting with the ones in the room. 

A raging battle ensued. Sonic, Tails, and Shadow versus roughly fifteen Robotnik robots, and the Freedom Fighters were losing. The robots were nearly invincible, but Sonic and Tails refused to give up. Shadow, on the other hand, cowered in a corner. He was scared, for he had never seen a true battle before. 

Tails airlifted Soinc to the top of the domed room so they could catch their breath. The robots took this opportunity to notice Shadow and began advancing towards him. Shadow knew he had to act fast. Fear gave him adrenaline, and adrenaline gave him power. It also unlocked instinct given to him before birth. Not knowing what he was doing, he jumped into the middle of the swarm and yelled, "CHAOS CONTROL" as a green light filled the room. 

Sonic and Tails landed softly on the ground. The robots were in pieces, and Shadow was lying in the center not moving. Fearing the worst, Sonic ran up to him and checked for a pulse which, fortunately, was there. Just then, Knuckles slid down the tunnel and surveyed the damage as Sonic and Tails relayed the battle to him. 

"Yeah, Chaos Control," Knux replied. "That's the attack I used on the ComBots, 'cept mine was a bit more controlled, no pun intended. He probably used his emerald to do it, though, and it couldn't keep him conscious and do the move at the same time, so he fainted." Knux walked over to Shadow and touched his emerald to him. He woke up, and was quickly filled in on what he did. 

"So, how do we get out of here?" Tails asked. "I can't airlift three people." 

"Oh, I can take care of that," Knux said, opening a portal to Knothole. Tails and Shadow walked through, but Sonic stayed behind. 

"Knux?" he asked. 

"Yeah?" 

"Um... well... do you know a place a guy can get a decent diamond ring?" 

The news of Robo-Robotnik's exile quickly spread to Robotropolis and the Overlanders living there. They sent a delegation to King Acorn, telling him that they would accept his rule as long as they were properly represented in the government. To everyone's joy, he agreed. 

Living quarters were found for the residents of Knothole in an area not touched by the toxic chemicals. Mina and Amy decided to room together, as well as Sonic with Tails and Sally with Bunnie. Rotor, Shadow, and Antione each got spots by themselves, and the rescued Robians and the other residents were able to find appropriate space as well. 

Tails sat with Bunnie and Antione, letting the day's events sink in. He tried to ignore the couple across from him who were essentially making small talk with lots of creative names for each other. Tails sighed. It was only six o'clock, early considering all that had happened that day. but now, everything was perfect. Robotnik was gone, Mobotropolis was back in Acorn's hands, they had made peace with the Overlanders, what could possibly... 

Wait, not everything was right yet. Sally was still mad at Sonic, the robians were still robians, and he still didn't know where his parents were, not to mention Athiar's saying he wasn't... Tails quickly shook these thoughts from his head. "The glass is half full," he told himself as he picked up his drink and tried to take a sip, but he put it down once he realized the glass was empty. 

* * *

That night there was a huge celebration. Everyone in the city turned out to the newly declared main square where a pavilion had been set up. There was music, a buffet, and there were rumors that Rotor was going to bring out a karaoke machine. Everyone was having a blast except Sonic. He sat outside the main group, fingering a small box, wondering what to say to Sally. She still wasn't speaking to him, and he didn't know why... 

"Hi, Sonic!" said Mina as she sat down next to Sonic and put her arm on his shoulders. "How's it going?" 

"Mina, not now," said Sonic dryly. 

Mina only scooted closer to him, making it look even worse when Sally walked by. She took one look at the "couple" and left. 

Sonic tried to get up, to chase after her, but Mina gave him a bear hug and wouldn't let him go. "Mina," Sonic said, almost in panic, "you're not my girlfriend, so let go!" 

Mina only giggled. 

"Mina, if you don't let go, you'll kill me." 

Finally Mina spoke. "How will not talking to a girl who doesn't care what happens to you kill you?" 

"Because I care." 

Mina said nothing and didn't let go. 

Sonic couldn't get out, and even if he could, she was just as fast as him. Finally, an idea came to his head. "Mina, I don't want to do this, but you leave me no choice." He curled into a spindash and took off, breaking Mina's hold. She stood there for a few seconds, then took off after him. 

Sonic finally caught up to Sally. "Sal, we need to talk," he said quickly. 

Sally gave him a look and asked, "Where's your girlfriend?" 

"That's what we need to talk about: she is not, nor ever has been my girlfriend." 

"Could've fooled me." 

"Sal, I was giving her running lessons! You want her to be a productive Freedom Fighter, right? She has to learn how to use her skills!" 

"Well, you always find a way to spend time with her." 

"She finds ways to spend time with me! I've been trying to find you, but you've always been in the castle. I've tried to call, tried to visit, but someone always says 'The princess is not associating with commoners'!" 

"Well, I'm sorry, but I haven't seen my family in forever. Can't I spend a little quality time with them?" 

"I don't have a problem with that. What I'm worried about is that you called me a commoner. Is that how I look to you?" 

Sally tried to walk away, but Sonic called after her. 

"Sally, if you leave now, I can't say that you'll be able to come back." 

This only made a bit of sense to her, so she turned around and asked, "What do you mean?" 

Sonic looked down to the ground. When he looked up, he was on the verge of tears. "I mean," he said slowly, "that I don't have much emotion left. If you leave me now, you take a part of me with you. If I lose any more of myself, I'll die emotionally." 

"If you lose 'any more'?" she asked softly. 

"Remember the music box? We were just kids, Robotnik had just taken over, remember? We all woke up with our hearts desire: Bunnie wasn't robotic, Rotor and Tails had their families, and we... were getting married." After a brief pause, Sonic continued. "I didn't want to go; none of us did. But we had to... And when we did, I left part of me at the alter, waiting, hoping for the day it would be real. 

"So if you are going to ignore how much I love you because of a small misunderstanding on both our parts, then I can't say you will ever be able to come back. Don't make me talk about the time I thought you were dead." 

"Are you trying to put me on the spot?" 

"No, I just want you to know the kind of decision you're making. I'm not a loner, Sally; I never have been. So, now, I want to know if you'll be there for me if I'll be there for you." 

"For how long? I don't understand..." 

Suddenly, Mina popped up. "Sonic, why'd you leave me all alone like that?" 

Sonic fought to control his anger. Why, of all people, did it have to be her? His reply was a little more snappish than he meant it to be, but it only drove the point home. "Because I had to ask Sally a question." 

Turning to Sally, he dropped to one knee, pulled out the box, looked into her eyes, gulped, and made a proposition. 

"Princess Sally Alicia Acorn, will you marry me?" 

Sally almost said, "As if you had to ask," but she remembered how she'd been acting lately, so she simply said, "Yes." 

Mina gave a loud "hmph!" and stormed away. 

* * *

Tails, Rotor, and Antione were being "entertained" by an old Robian telling war stories; Tails was particularly interested in the planes. Finally, he asked, "Why did the army have both hovercrafts and planes? Why not one or the other?" 

"Because they're each useful for different things," Rotor explained. "Hovercraft are useful for heavy objects, short distances, and when you don't have room to take off. Planes are better for long distances since they tend to be more efficient than hovercraft that way." 

Tails had a look in his eye. "What if we built both in one? Takes off like a hovercraft; flies like a plane." 

"Well, that'd be kinda expensive, plus it might not be very efficient..." 

Antione, however, muttered something about not thinking of it before. Out loud, he said, "Tails, do you think you could draw a design for zis contraption?" 

"Got a pencil?" 

He did, and Tails began scribbling on the paper tablecloth. He was thus occupied when Sally stood up to make an announcement. The pavilion fell silent. 

"I have three things to say: an apology, bad news, and good news. 

"First, the apology. I want to let all of you know, especially Rotor, Tails, Bunnie, and Antione, that I regret brushing you off as 'commoners' for the past few weeks. This isn't the right attitude nobility should have, and I hope I never do it again. 

"Second, the bad news. Normally I wouldn't tell you this, but I don't feel like keeping secrets from you." She took a deep breath and continued. "Robo-Robotnik was not sent, as we thought, to the Zone of Silence. He was sent three hundred years into the future. While this does get him off of our hands, I publicly ask that we be ready for him by telling our children, and that they tell their children. This message should not be lost to the threads of time. 

"Finally, the good news. I never realized how much I was hurting all of you in my absence until Sonic gave me a wake-up call half an hour ago. What he said is between you and me, but I will tell you this." She took another breath. "After at least ten years of fighting multiple Robotniks, Sonic and I have finally realized how much we need each other. Therefore, I am proud to announce-" She held up her hand so the light would catch the diamond on her ring. "-our engagement." 

The crowd applauded, and several people cheered. 

Sonic tapped Rotor on the shoulder, whispered something in his ear, and the two silently slipped out unseen while Tails showed his completed drawing to Antione. 

* * *

Five minutes later, Sonic was at the karaoke. But, instead of lending his voice to the song, he had brought his guitar. He was cranking out a beautiful rendition of "Pinball Wizard" by the Who. When that was over, the crowd loved him so much he just started playing. Nothing in particular, he just played what came to mind. Tails meanwhile tore off his drawing and handed it to Rotor. 

"It looks good," he said. 

"Can you help me build it?" Tails asked? 

"Boy, where are we going to get the money for it?" 

"I talked with Ant. He says the Royal Guards can pay for it." 

"Well, my apartment doesn't have a workshop big enough..." 

"Try to switch with Sonic; our apartment has a garage." 

* * *

As Sonic went to bed that night, he felt, for the first time in a long time, that everything was alright for once. However, there was a small nagging feeling in the back of his head that the job wasn't quite finished yet... 

* * *

- www.madcrasher.com - 


	2. Business as Usual

**Business as Usual**

Sonic and all related elements are (c) Sega and Archie Comics. I am not affiliated with these parties, nor do I desire to. Used without permission. 

James Hedgehog and Michael Echidna are (c) MC Bomberman and may not be used without permission. 

This story is ©2001-2002 MC Bomberman, all rights reserved. Last revised 01-2002. May not be freely distributed. 

* * *

What the Future Holds part 1 

Sonic could not believe how much nerve Tails had. For starters, he hadn't spoken more than five words at once to anyone except Rotor ever since Robo-Robotnik's exile. He would just stay in his apartment working on something. Who knew what he was working on, all Sonic knew is that Tails just wasn't acting himself. It was now the third week of this, and Tails actually had the nerve to ask Sonic to get him 5 Rings from the public ring vault. Even though he had broke his 5-word limit, Sonic was still miffed. "Sure," he thought sarcastically, "I'll get you some rings and a lot more, ya little --" Sonic stopped himself in mid-sentence. What was he thinking? This was Tails he was talking about, his best bud since the war started. "Maybe," he thought, "I'll give him one more night. Then, if he still won't talk, I'll talk to him. That's what all the TV shows say to do, anyway!" He chuckled a little at the last thought as he pulled up to the public Ring vault. He got the Rings without much trouble, but he wondered what Tails could be up to that needed five Power Rings. If one Ring can power a TV set for six months, then... 

Tails was running on pure adrenaline. Sure, every so often he'd go get something out of the fridge or maybe nab a couple hours of sleep, but most of it was adrenaline. He was tightening a few bolts into place on his latest project: The Sky-Hover 543! It was so simple, Tails was surprised no one had thought of it before! It uses a levitation device to get off the ground or go short distances, but when the time came for some serious traveling, all that needed to be done was press a button and the SH543 rises to a higher altitude where it can safely take off like a normal airplane. Tails was sure it would work, the only thing he wasn't happy about was the power: the 543 was a total power hog with five rings. He just hoped they would last long enough to get a good ECA rating. The other thing he was worried about was Sonic. He felt guilty about shrugging Sonic off these past weeks, but the patent only gave him one month to build and test his invention. "Not to worry," he thought. "Sonic will run by with the rings, I can put the final touches on tomorrow, and we can go do something in style." 

"Hey, Tails! You alive in there?" Sonic yelled down the stairs to the workshop. 

"Huh? Uh, yeah, cool, you?" 

"OK. I got your Rings, by the way." 

"Great! Thanks!" Tails took the rings from Sonic and put them in a box somewhere in the workshop. Sonic hung around the top of the steps for a little while, but getting no other response from Tails, turned to leave. 

"Hey, wait!" Tails called. 

"Yes?" Sonic answered, with a hint of weary impatience in his voice. 

"I was wondering if you could swing by here around 6:00 tomorrow night. We haven't done anything together in a while and I wanted to know if you wanted to go bowling." 

Sonic stood there for at least half a minute in mute surprise before accepting. "But why here, and why so early?" 

Tails responded, with a glint of eager surprise in his eye, "Oh, you'll see..." 

Sonic shrugged, walked off, glad that Tails was back to his old self. 

* * *

The next evening, Sonic knocked on Tails and Rotor's apartment door. Not getting an answer and finding the door unlocked, he cautiously walked in. He heard some noise coming from the workshop: a mix of hovercraft engines and exclamations from Rotor. He hurried over and peeked in... There, sitting, no, hovering, over the workshop floor was the sleekest retractable wing plane Sonic had ever seen. Sitting in its cockpit was none other than Tails himself, with Rotor looking around and underneath for defects. Finding none, he got up and patted the Sky-Hover 543 on the side. 

"Looking good, Tails! You want us to take it out for a test drive?" he commented, attempting to climb into the second seat in the three-seat cabin. 

"Sorry, buddy, but that seat's reserved for Sonic. You're welcome to come to the bowling alley with us, though. Right Sonic?" 

Sonic was jerked back to reality. It took him a second to process the question Tails asked, but he responded with a simple, "Sure, fine with me. So this is what you've been working on for the past two weeks." 

Sonic and Rotor stood in silent awe while Tails, not knowing what to say at a time like this, kept his mouth shut as well. Finally, after who-knows-how long, he said, "Guys, we better get going if we're gonna do this." 

Five minutes later they were cruising down Mobotropalis' skyway on their way to the bowling alley. Tails sat in the cockpit, explaining what this gadget does and what that doodad does and all that junk. Sonic took all this in, yet still managed to ask, "So, how much did all this cost, anyway?" 

Tails had his eyes on the road as he said this, but you could still detect a hint of I-got-away-with-murder feeling in his expression. "Well, that's the beauty of it. You see, when I drew up the first designs and went to get my patent, Antoine came up and said he could get me all the money I needed for this as long as I let the Royal Guards mass-produce them for the army. And the best thing is, they're still gonna pay me a commission for every Sky-Hover they make. So I guess the old law holds true: The sidekick scores all the dough while the super hero goes broke." 

"Huh, what was that?!" Sonic half-yelled. Yup, things were back to normal as far as he was concerned. 

"Well, that's all fine and good, Tails, but you know," Rotor said quickly "I notice a lot of my inventions here, plus I know you asked me for help along the way, and--" 

Tails cut him off "And I'll be happy to put your name next to mine on the contract with the army. Fair deal?" 

Rotor gave a small "Mm-hmm" in approval as Tails brought the 543 down in the parking lot of the Blue Blur Bowling Bonanza. As the three former Freedom Fighters disembarked, Tails said, "OK, guys, here's the deal. I'm feeling pretty generous tonight, so I'll pay on the condition that we play without bumper guards." 

While Rotor agreed without much hassle, Sonic reluctantly said in a low voice, "OK, but just this once. Got it?" Tails smiled back with a very triumphant look in his eyes. 

* * *

The next day, Sonic was at Tails' apartment earlier than usual, yet Tails was already up. "Oh, good, you're here," he said as Sonic walked in the door. "I need to take the Sky-Hover for a few test runs. Want to come along?" 

"Sure. What do you need to do?" 

"Oh, just find out the fuel effecency and see how well it runs as a plane. Then, if it goes OK, take it down to the Royal Avaition Aministration for final inspection and to register it." 

"Cool. Where did you plan on going?" 

"Well, I wanted to take it out over water so that if I had to crash it would be a soft landing." 

"A soft landing?" 

"Well, it's supposed to be able to float..." 

"Whatever. Are we going now?" 

"You bet!" 

As Tails flew the plane-like contraption as smooth as a whistle, he couldn't help but cruise for a little while, simply enjoying the ride. The wings had expanded without a hitch, and he had been flying for a good half hour without seeing any downward progress on the fuel guage. Suddenly, he saw a small speck floating above the horizon and got yet another crazy urge. 

"Hey, Sonic, wha'dya say we see if Knuckles wants a ride?" 

"If you say so, Captain." 

As they neared the Floating Island, they could make out its unique rock formations, it's gigantic trees, and other beautiful features. Suddenly, they heard a small bump on the back of the plane. They turned around to see Knuckles already climbing into the back seat. He must have seen them coming and glided over! Sonic tried to vocalize a witty remark about asking first when a loud noise cut him off. All three passengers looked around to find its location, but seeing nothing, decided to get away from the Floating Island to see if that helped. It didn't. After they were about five miles out to sea, they noticed a bright light accompanying the noise. Suddenly, Tails lost control of the plane, but instead of it barreling to the ground, it shot straight into the light. Then, almost as fast as the noise appeared, everything, the plane, the noise, the light, was gone. 

* * *

A young hedgehog close to Sonic's age stood in a hooded cloak with his arms raised. In a circle at his feet, hovering about six inches above the ground, were seven glittering jewels, each a different color. Directly above him, a white ball glowed and the rush of wind coud be heard. As he looked up, a small plane not much bigger than the Winged Victory, yet much sleeker and more metallic, shot out of the white ball. The hedgehog smiled; his mission was successful. 

Tails fought hard to control his plane. He knew every single control on the panel; after all, he built it himself using spare parts from Robotnik's storehouses. As he brought the screeching ride to a more stable level, he began looking for a place to land. Meanwhile, Sonic started moaning something about "motion sickness" and "too many chili dogs." Knuckles, evidently used to gliding through rough air, spotted a hooded hedgehog looking up at him. 

"See that mug down there?" he asked Tails. 

"Yeah. Do you think he can tell us something?" 

"Probably not much more than where we are, but land there anyway." 

As he said this, he and Sonic looked around at their surroundings. All around them were metallic buildings that looked much like the kind in Mobotropalis. The difference was that these buildings were neither ugly sores on the landscape nor overgrown and defected. Rather, the metal itself was beautified, looking almost as if someone had planted the buildings from a seed a long time ago. In the distance, palmtrees swaying in the breeze, flashing lights on the horizon, and a sky-high speedway could be seen. The creepiest thing was the horizon, though. The curve was so dramatic, it seemed to be not more than one hundred miles away, almost as if they were on... 

"The Little Planet," Sonic said, coming over his motion sickness. "Those must be the Time Stones, though I don't have a clue how he knew I hid them here." He pointed at the cloaked figure as he said this. 

"Well, you can ask him when we get down. Hang on!" announced Tails as he brought the Sky-Hover 543 down to the ground. 

* * *

The young hedgehog watched the plane/hovercraft land with great interest. He'd flown many similar aircraft much better than this design, yet there's always something intriging about the original. As the govercraft landed and its occupants disembarked, he felt slightly amased and bumbled at the same time. He still couldn't get over the fact that the Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles were standing in front of him. If times weren't so bad, mabye he would have been happier. But, as things weren't going so well for his friends, he found it hard to find the emotion he was looking for. None of that mattered anymore, though, since Sonic was walking towards him with a very ticked off look on his face. Summoning his resolve, he removed his hood and stepped forward to greet Sonic. 

Sonic was taken aback by the stranger's appearance. It was almost like he was looking into a mirror, yet his reflection was strangely different yet similar at the same time. It could also now be easily said that the stranger was around 17 and looked like Sonic except his color was maroon. Remembering how he was pulled through a time portal with no time for reaction, Sonic spoke first. 

"I know where we are, just tell me what year it is, who you are, how you knew about the Stones, and why we're here." 

The stranger spoke softly and quickly, as if in a hurry. "My name's James. On Mobius, it is the first month of 3752. I missed the island's New Year's party to bring you bums here, so be happy. There's not much else to be happy about..." James trailed off, a distant look appearing in his face. He quickly regained his composure, however, and continued. "Oh, and about the Time Stones, well, I don't exactly know how to say this, but I'm your great-grandson, Sonic." 

Sonic couldn't believe his ears, much less Tails and Knuckles. Here they were, 300 years in the future standing in front of Sonic's great-grandson. It was all Sonic could do to stammer out, "S- so why are we here? You never answered that." 

James's face became very grave. "I could tell you the whole story from day one, how defense projects fell through the roof, how some rulers didn't realize that Robotnik was sent to the future and not destroyed, but the short and sweet of it is that Robo-Robotnik appeared, got a hold on some chaos emeralds, and essentially robotisized the entire planet, save the Floating Island. We're guessing it was the emeralds that protected it, but it's only a theory." He glanced at his watch. "We need to get going; the Little Planet doesn't hang around forever." 

"So, what you're saying is the only safe place on Mobius is the Floating Island, and we gotta go there and get situated before we tan Robotnik's metal hide, right 'James'?" asked Knuckles rather confusedly. 

"Pretty much," James answered. He turned to Tails. "Is it gonna take too long to start up the 543, or can we leave now?" 

"We can go now, I left it idling, but how-" 

"I've flown many a 543. Those things are all the rage, 'cept they're updated to today's standards. They were some of the best things around until Eggman showed up. Now, that one only holds three people, so I'll hang on to the side." 

"Sounds cool," Sonic replied, having an official air about him. "Now, I need you to bring the stones with you. I know you can send us back to the exact point in time you pulled us out, but I don't want to spend more of my life here than I have to. I do have a family to take care of, y'know." 

"You do?! But I thought it was only-" 

Tails interjected, "He's not married yet, don't worry. He's just using it as a figure of speech." 

* * *

The motley group of good-guys was soon on its way to the Floating Island. On the way, James explained all that was going on. "I had been reading the histories, and the appointed time for Robotnik to show up was coming soon. I tried to warn people, but they said I was getting paranoid. I managed to convince Michael, the Floating Island's guardian, about the situation, and he said he'd try to get a forcefield around the island and he'd let any friends of mine on if Eggman did show up. 

Anyway, one day I saw a green flash above the outskirts of Mobotropolis. I expected the throne to be gone by that night, but instead there was only the report of a storehouse robbery. It was a factory that specialized in the manufacture of robotic parts, so I knew the end was soon. Problem was, no one would believe me. My parents told me to calm down, but it was alright if I went to the Floating Island for a while if it'd make me feel safer. In fact, no adults would listen to me except for Shadow, and-" 

"Woah, do you mean Shadow? The Shadow?" Knuckles asked. 

"Yeah, he managed to get enough energy to keep himself alive until now. I don't know where he is, but I think his chaos energy protected him from the Death Egg. Anyway, he said it was about time and walked off. The only people I could convince to come with me were Otto Walrus, Daniel and Sarah D'Collette, and Jules Prower. Three guesses whose kids they are, and the first two don't count. So now they're on the Floating Island waiting for us. I told them I was going to go get help, but I think they think I'm a nut case. Meanwhile, down on the surface, things are..." 

James choked up. Knuckles and Sonic took their first look down and shuddered. Everything was dark and dreary. All the trees were dead, and the only squirrels to be found were robotic. Any water to be found was dried up or black with pollution. An onmious air hung over the cabin as the plane touched down on the Floating Island. A small croud consisting of some island residents as well as the animals James had mentioned earlier was forming. 

James jumped off the plane. "Hey, I told you I was getting help, didn't I?" 

A female ground squirrel looked at him quizzically. "You expect us to believe that you found the Time Stones? Lemme guess, that's Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles in the cabin, right." James nodded. "Get serious, we have a problem, and old family fairy tales aren't going to help." With that, she stormed off with the rest of the crowd in tow, none of them seeing Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles climb out of the cabin. 

"She's very trusting, isn't she?" Sonic asked. 

"Alica Acorn, descendent of Elias Acorn, your Sally's brother. You can take comfort in the fact that she's not related to you. Otherwise, she would have believed the 'family fairy tales.' Now, I wonder where Michael is, 'cuz I know he'll believe you all. Hmmm. Anyway, do you three want to come to the main hut? We got chili dogs..." 

"You three go on, I'll catch up." 

"What's with you, Sonic? I thought you loved chili dogs..." Tails asked. 

"I just want to think a little, ok?" Sonic responded softly as the other three took off. "Hmm," he wondered, "it doesn't look like James has the speed. Oh, well." As he sat contemplating his current fate, a voice above him started calling his name. Looking up, he saw none other than- 

"Dulcy! Am I glad to see you!" She only waved in responce as she started landing. The problem was, she looked a little lopsided. Seeing what the problem was, Sonic dived out of the way right before she crash landed near where she was sitting. "You haven't changed a bit!" he yelled as she got up. As he looked closer, he realized he wasn't completly right. Her complexion had changed as the stress of time had taken it's toll. Her color was a bit pale, and the sorrow in her voice was easy to find. 

"Well, I'm not as young as I used to be," she responded, smiling briefly. "You don't know how long I've waited for this day. Ever since you told me about what happened I'd been looking forward to it." 

"I told you?" 

"Yeah, back in 3452, don't you... oh yeah, that hasn't happened to you yet. Anyway, that should let you know you won't die here." 

"That's comforting. But I'm suprised you're still alive, no offense. I didn't know dragons lived for 300 years." 

"Well, if you want to get statistical, I'm supposed to be dead. Mabye it's just so I can help you out one last time." 

"Actually you can. You can..." Sonic started talking as he and Dulcy began making their way to the hut. It wasn't far off, and he told James of his hasty plan. 

"But will they believe us just because a dragon who doesn't have much in the way of firepower said so?" 

"They should. Dragons can't tell lies, remember?" 

"Um, no." 

Knuckles slapped his forehead. "What do they teach you people, huh?" 

James started to retort, but Dulcy stuck her head in the window at that moment, much to the fright of some people, but Alica silenced them with a "Calm down, she's ok! What is it Dulcy?" 

"I heard you were a sceptic, Alica, but this is the, what is it, frosting on the cake?" 

"You mean you believe James' story?" 

"I haven't heard James' story, but I do know that's Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. If that's his story, then yes, I believe it." 

"Well I don't care what you think, because I don't believe him." 

Dulcy was near tears. "You don't believe me?" 

Alica's stare was like ice. "When I eat a chili dog, I will." 

Suddenly a hand with spiked knuckles held a chili dog to her face. "That can be arranged," he said, sounding quite peturbed. 

Alica was unmoved. "What do you want, Michael?" 

He was almost a spitting image of Knuckles. Only a few facial differences could be noticed, as well as the decorations in his dreadlocks. "Shows how much you know about dragons. You would think of all people the King's daughter would know-" 

"Get to the point, Michael!" James yelled from the edge of the hut. 

"Sorry. My point is dragons cannot tell lies! You cannot lie to a dragon and a dragon cannot lie to you. It's that simple. So if Dulcy here says that this is Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, then this is Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles, hands down. Which means, princess, that you get to eat this." He held the chili dog to her face again. Alica mumbled something, then picked up the morsel and ate it in one bite. She instantly ran to the faucet and rinsed out her mouth yelling how bad it tasted. 

"Yup, she's definetly not related to me," Sonic mentioned. 

Michael walked over to Knuckles and shook his hand rather carefully. "Nice to see you here," he said. 

"Well," Knux said, "it does look like you've been keeping the island in one piece. But, uh, what's with the, uh, dreadlocks?" 

"What, these?" Michael asked, pointing to the bands in his dreadlocks. "They're all the rage, man?" 

Kunx raised an eyebrow. "But it looks, kinda, well..." 

"Feminine? What about all those guys running around Mobotropolis wearing earrings?" 

Knuckles shook his head in frustration. "Never mind. So, how are things going?" 

"Well," Michael replied, "not much has happened since Eggman's return, and I've been dying for some action. I take it you're not going to try the 'banish the bad guy to the zone of silence' routine?" 

"Nah, I think opening portals is a little risky, as you've probably figured out." 

"So it's going to be the frontal assult, it is?" 

"I don't know. James's the mastermind here." 

James spoke up. "Actually, I was hoping Ro-butt-nik would be introduced to Super Sonic, Turbo Tails, and Hyper Knuckles soon. Which means we'll need the spare emeralds, Michael." 

"Sure thing. You'll need 28 emeralds alltogether? Or am I coming?" 

"Sorry, but you're the only person here that can keep the royal windbag in line. I'm suprised you haven't kicked her off the island yet." 

"That threat is the only reason she listens to me. So got any idea where to get 14 more emeralds?" 

Knuckles looked startled. "You have 14 spare emeralds? Where'd they all come from?" 

Michael had the look on his face of one who was about to brag about something he had almost nothing to do with. "Well, I don't like to brag, but in the past few years we've managed to secure a few emeralds from the House of Acorn in a diplomatic process-" 

"The Big Cheese wanted someplace safe to put them." James whispered. 

"-and those three brought our total up to 14 plus the active emerald." 

"So where'd the other 11 come from?" Knuckles asked 

"I would think of all people you would know that the emeralds were extra-" 

"Michael! It hasn't happened to them yet! Don't say anything!!!!!" James yelled. He turned to a perplexed Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles. "You didn't hear that. Now, we've still got 14 emeralds to worry about. Michael, do you think the fire ants have any clue?" 

"Not really, but I'll ask anyway." 

"Sonic, you seem on familiar terms with Dulcy, see if she knows of any." 

"Will do." 

"Tails and Knuckles, you check the grotto near Robotropolis, and make sure you each carry an emerald; I don't want one of you getting robotisized." 

"What about you?" 

"I'm gonna check some technical readouts of Robotropolis with Otto and see if I can locate any weaknessess. We'll meet back here at 2100 sharp, K?" 

The small resistance group left the hut, hoping beyond hope that this fight wouldn't last very long. Until it was over, however, it was back to business as usual. 

* * *

- www.madcrasher.com - 


	3. Old Friends?

**Old Friends?**

Sonic and all related elements are © Sega and Archie Comics. I am not affiliated with these parties, nor do I desire to. Used without permission. 

James Hedgehog, Michael Echidna, and Matthias are © MC Bomberman and may not be used without permission. 

The 8CE (8th chaos emerald) concept is © K. M. Hollar, used with permission 

This story is ©2001-2002 MC Bomberman, all rights reserved. May not be freely distributed. 

* * *

What the Future Holds part 2 

"I still don't think we're going to find anything here," Knuckles stated flatly. He and Tails were searching for a small grotto outside what was Mobotropolis that apparently was still preserved after three hundred years. "Between me and Sonic trashing the dump and Robotnik vaccuming the rest out with the Death Egg," Knuckles continued, "I really don't think there are any emeralds left." 

"Quit being a pessimist, Knux," Tails responded. "If anyone needs to be skeptical here, it's me. You'd think James would have figured out that I can't use emeralds, so I don't see why we're even getting any for me." 

"You know that's not true, Tails!" Knux retorted. 

Tails began to get indignent. "Okay, now you're an optimist. You and me were both there when Athiar said I wasn't..." 

"Hey, I said I was sorry." 

"It doesn't make a difference; you didn't do anything." 

Knux sighed. This wasn't like Tails. "Look," he said finally, "let's just get what emeralds we can find. We'll worry about Turbo Tails later. Now, I think the entrance is somewhere around here..." 

A voice from the shadows spoke. "Actually the entrance is over there, but there aren't any emeralds there. I moved them to my house." 

Knuckles and Tails whirled around and gazed in the direction of the voice, fearing the worst. A few minutes later, a black figure stepped into the light. 

"Well, well, well. If it isn't Brawn and Brain themselves. What took you two so long?" 

"Shadow?" Tails asked. 

* * *

"I don't know where any emeralds are, Sonic," Dulcy said sadly, "but I know someone who does. He gave specific instructions to be re-activated when you arrived." 

"And that would be..." Sonic asked. 

"You don't know him... yet." She touched down in the middle of a dark wood, probably the remains of the Great Forest. Like Knux and Tails, Sonic was on the hunt for emeralds so he and his friends could all go their respective versions of Super and defeat Robo-Robotnik once and for all. 

Dulcy walked over to an odd-looking tree, flipped up a concealed panel, punched in an access code, and stood back. A few seconds later, a large trap door opened in the ground, and she and Sonic walked in. It was damp and mildewy, but that was beside the point. In the corner of the dark room lay a crimson robot echidna. 

"His name's Matthias," Dulcy explained. "but he goes by Matt. Since he's a robot, he managed to outlive the rest of the Freedom Fighters save Shadow. The thing is, he tended to be a little emotional, so when his best friend, almost his brother, finally died, he got depressed and deactivated himself down here. He left a note saying he didn't want to be awakened until you, Tails, and Knuckles were brought from the past." 

Sonic stared. "He's completely robotic?" 

"Not quite. I don't want to tell you too much, it might mess up your future; but his brain is like Shadow's: it's organic and runs off of Chaos energy. Right now, he's essentially sleeping." She walked over to Matt and pressed a button. 

A pair of glowing blue eyes flickered on. They moved from Dulcy to Sonic and stopped. "What year is it?" he finally asked. 

"3752." 

"Then you are Sonic." He got up slowly. "All systems seem to be functioning normally, the time is 3:07:25, and there are no organic life forms within ten miles of us." He looked mournfully toward the sky and gave an equivalent of a sigh. "Sonic," he continued, "I'm going to contribute a Super Emerald to your cause. I must warn you, however, not to use it." 

Sonic looked confused. "Then what's the point of having it?" 

The robot looked directly at Sonic. "James is the only one permitted to use it." 

This time Dulcy spoke up. "How do you know James? He wasn't born until after you were deactivated." 

"This won't be the last time he time travels," Matt answered. 

Sonic meanwhile was getting indignent. "How come James can use it and I can't?" 

"The Super Emeralds were bonded with the most evil being Mobius has known, and they appear to have picked up some of his evil. Handle it, and it may control you instead of you controlling it." 

"Hey, I've got a pretty strong mind, thank you very much." 

The robot's gaze seemed to increase in intensity. "I am not talking about some cheesy mind-control ray or Robotosizer brainwashing, I'm talking about good and evil on a spiritual level. In order to counteract evil, you need good. Good is only effective if it is pure and unadultered. Now, I know you've done at least one thing wrong in you're life, right?" 

"Are you saying James is perfect?" 

"No, but I do know that he has a force of good behind him that is. Don't get jealous, you will find out what it is in due time. For now, just use seven normal Emeralds, alright?" 

Sonic rolled his eyes and mumbled. Dulcy, on the other hand, asked, "Are you sure about James?" 

Matt smiled. "Don't worry. I talked with him before I shut down and I'm confident that he has the Light. Do me a favor and ask him, though." 

* * *

Shadow's house was a meager shack suprisingly unharmed by Robotnik's ray. Kunckles had explained James' plan to Shadow on the way, and now that they were at the house, Shadow responded by saying he could help. He invited Tails and Knuckles to sit down while he fetched the emeralds. Knux was partly impressed by all that was happening, but Tails still seemed steamed about some prior incident. Shadow re-entered, carrying a small device in the palm of his hand. 

"This," he explained, "is an emerald dispenser. It was made for me by some friends some time ago. It only has seven in it right now, but that's enough for one of you to go Super. I hear Michael has quite a few spares stowed away on his island, so you guys should do fine." 

"Shadow?" Knux asked, "how have you been able to survive for all this time? I didn't think you were immortal." 

Shadow blushed and sat down. "I'm not. I am simply able to perpetuate my life by absorbing another chaos emerald. It can only go on for so long, though. Right now, my vital organs are stretched so thin, if I did Chaos Control once, I'd be on my deathbed within the space of an hour." 

"Doesn't sound that bad," Tails mumbled morbidly. 

"Actually it's not," Shadow answered. "I've done a fair amount with my life; I have no regrets. To tell you the truth, I'm ready to die. I'm not suicidal; I just don't feel like absorbing another emerald. Besides, I'm not afraid to die." He said this with such calm that Knuckles, the only one who was really paying attention at the time, wasn't sure he was giving the whole truth. 

"Anyway," Shadow concluded, "you guys had better get going. You've got enough emeralds for one of you to go Super anyway, so why don't you get some practice. C'mon, Tails, you look like you could use a pick-me-up. Going Silver always cheers me up a little." 

Tails shook his head. "Can't use emeralds," was his reply. 

Shadow was taken aback. "Sure you can, Tails. What on Mobius are you talking about?" 

Tails said nothing, and Knux only said, "He's in denial. He lost... a fight and his trainer lost confidence in him." His face darkened as he said this, but Shadow only nodded. 

"I remember this..." he replied vaguely. Brightening up, he said, "Well, are you two going to get back to the Floating Island or not?" 

"Hand me the emeralds," Knuckles said. "I don't feel like using them yet, though. I want to save the excitement until later." 

* * *

"I still don't understand why he won't let me use the stinkin' thing," Sonic complained. 

"You will once we get to the emerald," Dulcy calmly replied. "Hang on, we're almost there." She touched down in yet another dark and dreary corner of the planet. 

"Emerald or no," Sonic thought, studying his suroundings, "Robo-butt's gonna pay for this." 

They found the Super Emerald with little trouble, since Matt had detailed all the necessary steps to retrive it. Unlike the chaos emeralds, however, this was a vibrant yellow, casting a warm glow across the dead landscape. 

As Sonic looked at it, a crazy idea popped into his head: Take it and go,> it said. Don't worry about Dulcy, she can fly.> 

Dulcy caught Sonic's look and warned, "Sonic, don't use the Emerald!" 

She's just trying to make things difficult for you,> the voice said. 

"What do you know?" Sonic retorted towards Dulcy, not sounding like himself. He lunged for the Emerald 

Dulcy recognized the change in tone, grabbed the Emerald before he could, and stuffed it in her pouch. "Sonic, do you realize what you're doing?" 

Sonic, now thinking a bit more clearly, said, "It spoke to me. The stinkin' thing was talking to me!" 

Dulcy nodded. "They all do that now. They'll all tell you to betray your friends, do the unthinkable, all in the name of getting power. Listen to the voice for too long, and it never goes away." She patted her pouch. "But, it's not quite as strong as the 8CE was, so you should be safe as long as you can't see it." 

Sonic was still in shock. "I guess Matt was right. But why didn't it go after you? And what's the 8CE?" 

Dulcy smiled. "Because I have the same Light James has, and it knows it can't get to me. As for the 8CE, well, you'll find out someday. C'mon now, let's get back to the Floating Island." 

* * *

A maroon hedgehog and a sky blue walrus poured over a diagram. It depicted a humanoid-shaped robot resembling a Mobile Suit (of Gundam Wing fame). The walrus was explaining symbols and shapes to the hedgehog. 

"This is his power supply," he said, "this is where the cockpit would be if it was a normal MS, this is the main mechanics module, and this is the biometal supply." 

"Knock that out, and he loses most of his weapons, right Otto?" the hedgehog asked. 

"Right, James. But I wouldn't go there, because you'd risk getting biometal all over yourself, and he only knows what kind of poisons are in it. I'd recommend going for this." He pointed to another spot on the diagram. "This is the main control node for the biometal. Knock that out, and the metal becomes utterly useless, adding weight to the MS and making him more clumsy than he already is." 

Otto and James both smiled at that. Humor was a rare occasion in this time, so even the dryest comment merited a smile. The good mood lasted longer than usual when Sonic walked in and announced, "James, I got ya a Super Emerald!" 

"Yeah, baby!" James exuberently responded. "Oh, wait, aren't those things supposed to be evil?" he added, his attitude having toned down somewhat. 

Sonic shrugged. "Yeah, they are, but Dulcy and, what's his name, Matt said you could handle it. I don't really get it, so why don't you talk to Dulcy? She's right out here." He motioned for James to follow, then walked out the doorway. 

James walked out and was introduced by Sonic to Dulcy, after which Sonic walked back in the hut. Dulcy then turned her attention to James. "Tell me, James," she asked cooly, "do you think you can handle this?" She pulled out the Super Emerald and let it's glow fall on James. 

James stared at the jewel. Thoughts of world domination were few and far between, and they were easily silenced. "'He has given us a strong mind.' No problem." 

"So Matt was right," Dulcy said to herself. 

James still had a question, so he asked, "How does this mind control work, though. If it's just like the 8CE, then I don't want to use this." 

Dulcy shook her head. "No, it's just the 8CE talking through the emerald. If it comes across someone capable of resisting, it gives up and doesn't waste the energy." 

"So it's still out there?" 

Dulcy nodded. 

James shrugged. "Oh, well. I know Eggman doesn't have it or the island would have crashed long ago. Hand me the emerald, will ya?" 

Dulcy handed the gem to James. "Use that sound mind, you hear?" 

James smiled. "This really cuts down on time. All we really need now are seven more chaos emeralds-" 

"Which we have." Knuckles said, walking up to the hedgehog. "Hya, Dulce. James." 

"Knuckles." Dulcy said. "Where's Tails?" she added. 

"He's still coming. He's... I don't know, depressed?" 

James donned a worried frown. "What year did I pull you guys out of?" he asked. 

"3435, why?" 

"What was the date?" 

"Around September 7." 

"Junk." James turned to look at Tails, just now approaching. "Of all times to pick him up, it had to be within that four-week window he was in the dumps." 

Knuckles looked confused. "What do you mean? He's been in a pretty good mood since Robo-Eggman went bye-bye, and that was at least two weeks ago." 

James sighed. "During those two weeks, he never heard the words 'chaos emerald,' did he." 

"You mean all this is about what Athiar said?" 

"I'm afraid so." He took another look at Tails, and Knux followed. "His confidence is completely shattered; he feels like he has no identity, and, on top of that, we need him to go Turbo if we're going to beat Robo-Robotnik." 

Just then, Sonic walked out of the hut. "Sorry, I couldn't help overhearing. Knux, what did Athiar say?" 

Knuckles sighed. "I'll tell it from the beginning. Dulcy, you may want to listen too. 

"You know how Athiar had been talking about Tails being the 'chosen one' or whatever? It was when me an' you were fighting Mammoth Mogeul as Super and Hyper, remember?" Sonic nodded. "Well, when Knothole was having its first day of school, Athiar whisked Tails away for a little training. He gave him some emeralds and told him to fight. His speed and stamina was naturally increased by the emeralds, and what was left over (and there was a lot left over) went into his defense cloak and some super flickies he summoned. He did fine against the robots and stuff, but then Athiar told him to release the flickies and use the power himself. Poor Tails had no clue what to do, but he did it anyway. He managed to get by the robots by frying their circuitry (chaos emeralds will do that to 'bots, you know). The thing is, that wasn't all. 

"Athiar saw Tails' strategy with the robots and he didn't like it. Said he wasn't using the emeralds to their full potential. Tails asked how he was supposed to, and Athiar said he was supposed to know, he was the chosen one. But just to give Tails a bit more confidence, he brought in Merlin Prower, who happened to be Tails' uncle. He didn't really do much, though, 'cept sit on the sidelines and whisper some things to Athiar that got him kinda upset. Anyway, the final blow came when... I had to fight him. Athiar gave me a pair of iron shovelclaws and told me to show no mercy. I didn't want to do it, I really didn't! But I had to or else I wouldn't look like a good guardian to Athiar." Knuckles paused to collect his thoughts, then continued. "He was down for the count in under a minute. Athiar walked over to Tails, took one look at him, and announced that he must not be the chosen one. Merlin was yelling, saying something about Athiar having it all wrong, but I don't think Tails heard. Even now, he won't use the emeralds because he doesn't think it'll do anything." 

* * *

No one said anything. Finally, Sonic got up and walked over to where Tails was sitting. His eyes were puffed and red, apparently from crying. Still not saying anything, Sonic sat down next to Tails and put a hand on his shoulder. They just sat there like that, silent, Sonic simply letting his presence comfort Tails. After about ten minutes of this, Sonic spoke. "Tails," he said, "you have to try." 

"I can't" Tails answered flatly. "I'm not the chosen one." 

"That's beside the point. We need all the power we can get. I know you can use the emeralds. You can summon super flickies. You can electrocute the systems. You can do whatever you can do, but you've got to do it." 

"It won't make a difference." 

"Listen to yourself. Do you really think that? Is this the same kid who built the first hovercraft-slash-plane? Is this the kid who didn't lose his cool back in Sand Blast City? Is this the kid..." This went on for a few minutes. By the time Sonic was done, Tails felt a little better. He walked back over to the group and sat down with them. 

James stood up and adressed the now-fully-formed group. "Alright, I've been going over a diagram of Eggman's Moble Suit with Otto, and it looks like we have a chance. The idea is for us to knock out the biometal control module located in his right arm. If we disable that, he won't be able to use most of his weapons." 

"Just wondering, how would that knock out his weapons?" Tails asked. 

"His right hand is made of biomorphous metal, meaning it can change shape. I would say we should knock out the holding tank for the biometal, but Otto doesn't think it's very safe. The next best thing is to destroy the computer that controls it, making it nothing more than a giant weight." 

"What happens afer that?" Sonic asked. 

"We head for the cockpit and see if he's home," James replied with more than a hint of anger in his voice. 

"When exactly do we do this?" Knuckles asked. 

"Tomorrow, hopefully. Michael talked with the fire ants, and they said they didn't have an emerald or two to loan us but that they could give us Robotnik's exact location every hour or so. First, though, we need to get some rest." 

"But it's only 5:00!" Tails protested. 

"Would you rather fight an evil, demented robot at 5:00 in the afternoon or at 9:00 tomorrow morning after a good night's sleep and some breakfast?" 

"Point taken." 

* * *

A lone robot stood looking up at the Floating Island. "It's going to be different," he told himself, "but at least I won't be alone." Jets beneath his shoes ignited, and he slowly rose to meet the island. 

As he peeked over the shoreline, his eyes glanced upon a pair of shovelclaw-clad knuckles. He rose further and saw their owner: an echidna with bands on his dreadlocks. "Beat it, robot," the echidna said. 

The robot was unfazed. "Dulcy will speak for me. I'm not with Robotnik," he said calmly. 

The echidna looked the robot over. It was a likeness of an echidna, that was for sure, but no one could be trusted. "Dulcy!" he yelled over his shoulder, not taking his eyes from the robot's. 

Dulcy was there in two shakes. She took one look at the robot and said, "He's okay, Michael. Matt, it's a pity James wasn't your greeting party; he's the history buff." 

Michael bowed toward Matt. "Sorry for the inconvenience; you know the times." 

"A little. Listen, we look about the same size, so do you have any clothes I could borrow? Mine seem to have, er, rotted away." 

Michael smiled. "Sure thing. In the meantime, you can meet the guys." 

Matt shook his head fervently. "No! Sonic has seen me, and that was risk enough. Tails cannot be permitted to see me." 

"Why not?" 

"He was on the team that built me. If he sees me and talks with me, it might affect history. He never told me anything about meeting me in the future." 

Michael nodded. "Don't worry; the Floating Island has tons of hidden passages. You should be able to remain hidden for at least a couple of days. By then the three of them should be gone." 

"They will. Sonic said they couldn't have been in the future for more than three days when he told me about this." 

"Will they make it? I mean, will they kill Eggman?" 

Matt looked Michael in the eye for a few seconds. Despite his robotic state, one could still see the pain behind his eyes. "They will," he said slowly, "but not without grevious consequences." 

* * *

- www.madcrasher.com - 


	4. A Life for a Life

**A Life for a Life**

Okay, I really don't want to type this story out. It's rushed, forced, and not what I consider publishable. Basically, all that happens is Sonic, Tails, Kunckles, James, and Shadow all go their respective versions of super and destory Robotnik, but in the process Shadow overworks himself and dies. Tails explodes, saying it wouldn't have happened if he was the Chosen One, and Sonic is just shocked. The next day Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles return to the present. Tails collapses on his bed and Sonic is mobbed by reporters as we begin our next tale... 


	5. Guardian

**Guardian**

Sonic and all related elements are © Sega and Archie Comics. I am not affiliated with these parties, nor do I desire to. Used without permission. 

This story is ©2001-2002 MC Bomberman, all rights reserved. May not be freely distributed. 

* * *

- Prologue - 

An orange fox with two tails sat alone, playing the same scene over and over in his mind. He was standing in a fighting ring facing a red echidna with spiked knuckles. He himself was wearing a cloak; it was a protective shield of sorts that appeared whenever he used seven emeralds. 

Now an older echidna was telling the two of them to fight. The fox tried to attack, but nothing happened. Within two minutes, he was flat on the ground. The older echidna was yelling to stop. 

Now that echidna was talking to another fox. Merlin Prower. The only family he had. The two-tailed fox overheard a little of what the echidna was saying: "He is not the chosen one." 

You are not the chosen one. You are not the chosen one. If he was not the chosen one, who was he? 

* * *

"Sonic, do you think you could tell us what you expect to do once you become Guardian?" The one called Sonic didn't even acknowledge the reporter's presence. The TV news cameras had been hounding him ever since one station had come to the conclusion that Sonic was the next Guardian of Mobius. A pattern in history showed that every so often, a "Guardian" with immense magical abilities would arise and take over Mobius. That one station had instantly jumped to the conclusion that Sonic was the next Guardian, scheduled to appear very soon. At first, Sonic balked at the questions, opting only to issue a "no comment." The problem was that the reporters assigned to cover this "breaking news development" were as stubborn as a pit bull, going as far as to ambush Sonic outside the bathroom door to ask questions. 

Meanwhile, Tails was having problems of his own. Ever since Athiar had put him up against Knuckles and he had lost, Athiar had lost faith in Tails being the "chosen one" as he called it. Tails still had trouble understanding what happened. If he had gone Turbo, then how come Knuckles had been able to beat him up so quickly? Athiar had tried to come up with an explanation, but all he got was that Tails wasn't Tails. Now this was all coming to a head as nearly everyone in Mobotropolis was talking about Sonic being the "chosen one." Just thinking about all that had happened made Tails miserable. He wasn't mad at Sonic; he knew none of this was his fault. Tails wasn't sure who he was mad at, but he did have a problem, and a big one at that. He felt that he was condemned to be backstage for life. He felt that no matter what he did, he would always be known as the assistant, the sidekick, with no achievement or ability to call his own. He felt like he had nothing going for him, and the fact that his parents were incognito wasn't helping. It didn't matter that he could fly. It didn't matter that he had built a soon-to-be world-famous plane. Being in the state of mind that he was in, none of this crossed his mind.

Tails sat in his room and sighed. He wanted to cry, to get this misery out of him, but he just couldn't. He never saw the cloaked fox walk in the door, so he jumped when it spoke to him. 

"Having your identity crisis, I see?" 

Tails looked up and saw an all to familiar form. "Oh, hi, Uncle Merlin," he said dejectedly. 

"Is what Athiar said getting you this bummed out?" Tails nodded. "Maybe I can help clear some things up," Merlin said with a chuckle. "You see, Athiar wasn't completely right about the whole 'chosen one' thing. He was right in saying that you were it, but he was wrong in the way he went about it. He only thought that it meant you were unbeatable when you had 50 rings and 7 emeralds, but there's more to it than that." 

"What do you mean?" Tails asked, a glimmer of hope entering his voice for the first time. 

Merlin smiled. "Well, I can't tell you too much, but I can say that the Guardian, the 'chosen one,' must be awakened. Usually this happens the night of his or her 16th birthday, but there have been some exceptions. In the meantime, let me just say that you are an excellent young fox, and I wouldn't have anyone else for a nephew. I also know Sonic thinks the same way about you, 'cept for the nephew thing of course." Both Prowers chuckled. "Just hang tough for another day, ok Tails? Can you do that for me?" 

"No problem," Tails answered. He was already feeling better, but now he was more curious than ever. "Just one question," he asked. "Why exactly can't you tell me about the Guardian deal?" 

"Because... well... I can't really tell you. Why don't you go find Sonic?" 

"Quit trying to change the subject!" Tails growled, but he went out the door anyway. 

Merlin sat on the bed a little while longer. "Maybe I can convince them to let me do it tonight," he thought before he disappeared in a flash of light. 

* * *

Sonic was doing what he did best: running. This time it was not from SwatBots or some other Robotnik-induced danger, but from the press who was surprisingly keeping up quite well. He looked around for any route of escape, but found none. He was just about to give up hope when... 

"Need a lift, Sonic?" Tails yelled from above, his usual, cheerful self back. He and Sonic locked wrists and Tails took off above everything towards the Great Forest, his tails whirring like a mini-helocopter. 

Soon, Sonic and Tails were walking outside of Knothole, chatting like the old friends they were. "So you're not mad at me for all the attention I'm getting?" Sonic asked Tails. 

"Nah, I know it's not your fault. Besides, I had a talk with Merlin, and he says I'm still the 'chosen one' or whatever." 

"Who's Merlin?" 

Tails then realized that Sonic had never met Merlin. "Well, he's an old wizard, friends with Athiar and all that, plus he claims to be my uncle." 

"Well, that's good. First your uncle, next your parents. The Prowers will be back together before you know it!" 

"Thanks, I need all the encouragement I can-" Tails cut himself off and froze. 

"What-" Sonic tried to ask before Tails hushed him. 

"I think I saw a SwatBot right over there," he whispered. He unslung his backpack and fished around until he pulled out a small pellet and a gun to go with it. He whispered a number written on the pellet, loaded it into the gun, aimed, and fired it at the SwatBot. A barely audible "ping" confirmed that the target had been hit. 

"What are you doing?" Sonic whispered. 

"I'm gonna track him using a GPS satellite. We can find out where he's going or what he's guarding." 

"Great... Lovely... What's GPS?" 

Tails sighed. "Global Positioning System. It can tell you where you are, or in this case, what path an object took. I just need to tell my computer to track that homing pod I shot at the 'bot." 

"Ok..." Sonic answered, not sounding like he understood anything Tails just said. Not that it mattered, though. The duo simply headed back to Mobotropolis as the sun began to set. 

Rotor greeted the duo as they entered his and Tails' apartment. "So, trying to flee the press, eh?" he asked. 

Sonic got somewhat indignant. "We weren't trying. We left 'em in the dust." 

"OK, OK, whatever. Listen, I need to talk some things over with Chuck, so you can stay here for the night if you feel like it. The room's a mess and the bed's-" 

"I don't care about a mess; this is me you're talking to. Sure, go ahead, do whatever." 

Rotor had a playful ring to his voice. "Well, if that's the case, I think I'll leave now." With that, he bolted out the door, not bothering to close it. Sonic looked at Tails for a clue, but he only chuckled and walked into his room. 

Sonic soon understood why. In Rotor's room was a colossal mess so dense and full of delicate parts that he could only reach the bed by jumping. The bed was a problem in itself, though. There were no sheets, no pillows, no box springs, just a mattress on the floor, and even that wasn't much to look at. The springs were clearly out of alignment, and the covering had holes and dirty patches all over it. "That's it," Sonic thought, "I'm sleeping on the couch!" 

Meanwhile, Tails had his computer tracking the Swatbot as it appeared to be guarding something of some sort. He pulled up a simple yet highly addictive game while the computer continued to track in the background. After a while, Sonic walked in. 

"Hey, li'l bro', ya got any food at this dump of yours?" 

Tails paused his game and turned to face Sonic. "First off, Rotor's the one with the dump, not me. Second, we got ready-to-microwave Chili Dogs in the free-" He needed to say no more, for Sonic made like a tree and left. Within seconds, the small hum of the microwave could be heard. Tails smiled and checked his tracking map again. The robot had already made three sides of a square and was halfway through the fourth one. He noted the coordinates of the corners of the square and quit the GPS program. Calling up a program Rotor had made for him, he input the four coordinates and let the program do its work. The program was simple: it hacked into Robotnik's former spy satellite network and took a high-resolution photograph of an area of Mobius. The progress bar showed a couple of hours until completion, so Tails shut off the monitor and waltzed into the kitchen where the Sonic, disgusted with the frozen chili dogs, was heating his own pot of chili. 

* * *

The chili dogs were quickly consumed, and the two friends were exhausted. Sonic, true to his word, was fast asleep on the couch, while Tails was snuggling under the covers of his own bed. Unseen to the two, Merlin Prower watched them on two small monitors. Another figure, its species unidentifiable, walked up. "I've talked to transportation, and they've got locks on the two of them," he stated. Merlin only grunted in approval, and the second figure continued. "Are you sure it's a good idea to do it tonight? We're supposed to do it on his 16th birthday, that's the way we've always done it, and that's not for another couple of years. On top of that-" 

Merlin interrupted, "Forget the 'way we've always done it'! This kid's always been older than he is. He has almost no friends his age, most of them teased them about his tails. But," and he gestured toward Sonic, "look at him and Sonic. They're closer than brothers. Plus, there is something going on down on that planet. I haven't put my finger on it, but it's not good. I fear that by the time Miles' 16th birthday comes, there will be no Mobius left to guard." 

"Surely you know that cannot happen until the appointed time." 

"Look. I've thought about it and I've asked the high council about it, and everything is telling me to do it now. I want them in the room in one minute." The aged wizard turned and walked out the door. 

* * *

Sonic woke with a start. Something was not right, as Miss Clevel would say, and he had to find out. He walked into Tails' room to find him up for the same reason. Before either of them could utter a word, however, they were surrounded with a bright light and disappeared from the room. Expecting to end up in the future, Sonic and Tails were surprised to find themselves in a plain looking room, characterized only by a small computer console and a platform that looked suspiciously like a robotisizer. A voice behind the two then spoke, causing them to jump in surprise. 

"I've been waiting for this day for a long time, but I couldn't wait any longer." 

Tails knew that voice! He turned around to see none other than Merlin Prower, his uncle. "Does this have something to do with what you couldn't tell me?" Tails asked. 

Merlin nodded. "You may now add yourself to the list of exceptions, since it is obviously not your 16th birthday. But enough with the chit-chat, It's time I informed you and Sonic what is actually going on here. By the time I finish, most of your questions should be answered. 

"First off, the 'chosen one' pattern has been going through Mobian history for a long time. It was started when one scientist discovered a way to genetically alter a baby before it was born. Seeing how this could be used for evil, he turned to the world-hoppers for help. I'll explain what world-hoppers are in a minute, just hold on. Anyway, he gave them the technology and told them to give one person in each generation magical ability that could only be unlocked with this machine." Merlin gestured towards the platform and continued. "The benefit of this is that there is one in each generation who has the power to protect the innocent and the knowledge of what it is like not to have magic. This way, he can more easily relate to them than, say, someone like who me who has had magic their entire life. 

"Now, he wanted the 'chosen one' to have some say in what happened, so he gave instructions that the 'chosen one' would be able to choose either light magic, dark magic, or the option not to have magic at all, the same choice which lies before you tonight, Tails. Unfortunately, the majority of decisions have been either dark magic or none at all, with none being more popular. Unless I read incorrectly, light magic was only chosen once before in history. Now, the decision you will make, Tails, should be yours and yours alone. 

"I promised I'd explain who the world-hoppers are, so here goes. They are beings who have the capacity to travel between worlds, or parallel dimensions, at will. It is very difficult to find world-hoppers, since they take the form of the main species upon arrival in a world. For example, in one dimension he or she might be an overlander, while in this dimension he or she might be a hedgehog, and possibly some unknown creature in some other world. Most have sworn to uphold what is good and true throughout their travels, but there are some renegades. They come into the story because the scientist who developed the mutator believed them to be trustworthy to handle the information well, and so far they have. 

"Finally, we come to you and Sonic. First off, about your tails. It would seem that in the process of mutating you, the engineer accidentally gave you another tail. Since it modified your DNA directly, this is a trait that will be passed on to your children. Whether it is dominant or not remains to be seen, however. Second, about Sonic. He is here to be your sidekick of sorts, Tails." Upon hearing that, Sonic gave a small "humph" of irritation, but Merlin continued. "While he won't be able to perform many of the moves I'm going to teach you, he will be able to pull some basic stunts, and he will also have the ability to carry the emeralds inside him without using them. In other words, Sonic, you can absorb the emeralds and not become Super Sonic until you want to. 

"Now, Tails, it is time for you to make your decision. Do not choose lightly. From this point on, I can only tell you what you ask for." 

Tails thought hard. He wasn't sure if he wanted the magic at all, but he might as well ask some questions. "Which is more powerful, light or dark?" 

"Dark is easier to obtain, but light is more powerful." 

"How do I obtain magic?" 

"Neutral magic, such as fire, water, and other elemental moves, is obtained through the Chaos Emeralds. Light magic is gained through how many true friends you have, and how much they love you. Dark magic is gained through misery, hate and death, with bonus points for long, drawn-out deaths." 

"Um... could you tell me about any side effects?" 

"Sure. Neutral has none. Dark magic is usually characterized by an addiction to power. The more you gain, the more you want. It can eventually lead to a lack of respect for life and even a willingness to betray those closest to you. Light, on the other hand, is harder to obtain. 'Fair-weather' friends don't cut it; only true friends, like Sonic, count. However, the magic you gain from one true friend is greater than that a dark wizard would gain from one agonizing death." 

"Hmm... can I ask the audience?" 

"Nope." 

"50/50?" 

"Nope." 

"Phone a friend?" 

"He's standing next to you." 

"How 'bout the narrator?" 

Hey, leave me out of this! I'm trying to tell a story! Now where was I... Oh, yeah. 

Sonic spoke up. "You want my take? You choose Dark, and I will personally see that you end up like Ixis Nagus, K?" 

Tails thought. Dark was definitely out of the question, but was he ready for the responsibility that came with taking light? Was it even worth it to get magic at all? That's what the comic book characters always did. But was it the best thing... 

"You look like you're having a little trouble, so let me put it in simple terms," said Merlin, much to Tails' relief. "You can choose no magic, and live your life the way it always has. You can choose dark magic and be considerably powerful, but it will be at the expense of your friends. Finally, you can choose light magic and possibly sacrifice some ability, but you won't have a chance to become dictator. I hope that helps." 

It had. Tails quickly made up his mind. "Merlin," he said, "I'm afraid I'll have to go with... Light." 

"Atta boy, Tails!" Sonic yelled. 

Merlin retained his poker face. "Are you sure? I'll refrain from using an overused line that could go here, by the way." 

Tails had a look of strong resolution on his face. "I'd rather keep the friends I have than kill them. Light, and that is my final answer." 

"I hate that show," Merlin muttered. Louder, he said, "Very well, then. Miles Prower-" 

"Tails!" 

"Tails, please step onto the platform." He did so, and a tube slid over him. 

Sonic almost couldn't stomach seeing Tails in the tube. He'd been robotisized himself once, and it was not an experience to be relived. Uneasiness present in his voice, he asked Merlin, "You sure this isn't, I mean, is this gonna..." 

Merlin caught Sonic's drift. "Don't worry, as far as I know, it's not a robotisizer." Sonic breathed a small sigh of relief. 

Inside the tube, Tails watched as Merlin made a small gesture towards a control panel. Then, as if being pressed by an invisible hand, a switch turned to the white setting and a large red button was pressed. Instantly, the tube filled with a blazing white light. What happened next is still hard to explain; even Tails wasn't completely sure what happened. At first, the light seemed to penetrate through him. In other words, it wasn't bouncing off him, it was going through him! This went on for maybe an hour, or maybe 5 seconds; time was hard to tell in there. After a while, he started seeing images of people flash before his eyes. He saw Sally, Bunnie, Rotor, everyone from Knothole, Sonic, and a couple of foxes that looked eerily familiar: his parents? Were they alive? Were they robotisized? Were they- 

"TAILS!!!" 

Merlin was shouting at Tails, snapping him back to reality. "Huh?" 

"I said, how do you feel?" 

"OK, I guess, not that much different. Um, Merlin..." 

"Yes, Tails?" 

"Um.. the people I saw..." 

"Your friends." 

"Yeah, I kinda figured. Um, if one of my friends was dead, would they still show?" 

"Yes. The same goes for robotization." 

"OK... um..." 

"You saw your parents, didn't you?" Tails nodded. "Don't worry about them, I'll tell you later, OK?" 

"Yeah, sure, I guess. So, uh, what comes next?" 

"Next, I have to 'zap' Sonic, then I'll have to teach you two a few moves." 

Merlin spent a good hour teaching Sonic and Tails various moves. It wasn't knowledge to end all knowledge, just a crash course. By the time he was finished, they had each learned to teleport, communicate telepathically, and use telekenetics. 

"So Merlin," Sonic asked, "if we're telepathic, can we read minds?" 

"No," Merlin answered flatly. "It's not mind reading, it's more like silent communication. It's like talking, except instead of using sound waves, you're using thoughts and ideas. Now, before you go, I want to let you know two things. One, you can tell whoever you want about your new status. You can tell the media and have them tell everyone else, or you can keep it between you and Sonic. It's entirely up to you. Second, in light of that, I would not tell King Acorn about it right now. He's heard of how nearly every guardian in the past used black magic to overthrow the throne, so he's ready to shoot the next one on sight. Just be careful who you tell at first, that's all." 

"Anything else you need to warn us about?" Tails asked. 

"None, except for the fact that you should act pretty nice, or else no one will like you and you'll lose all your magic. I'm gonna send you two home now, but I'll see you really soon, if all goes as planned... anyway, take care of yourselves for now, OK?" 

"Sure thing, Unc." 

"No prob, man!" 

And the same teleportation light came on again, returning Sonic and Tails to Tails' bedroom. 

* * *

The clock on the computer showed 12:00 AM, and a box showed that the photos Tails had asked for earlier were in. Sonic, always one for adventure, asked, "So, li'l bro, wha'dya say we go harass the press, eh?" 

"Um, I don't know, I really should take a look at these photos-" 

Sonic grabbed his arm and pulled him into the hallway. "I can't believe you. You just became the second white wizard in Mobian history, and you want to look at satellite photos? C'mon, you're getting some action." 

"But it's not really a good idea to go looking for trouble..." 

"We're not looking for trouble, we know where it is, right?" He and Tails were by now already on their way to Sonic's apartment, where the media was camped out. 

* * *

Tails and Sonic marched up to Sonic's apartment. He didn't share space with anyone, so it was smaller than normal. He wanted to get a space with Tails, but Tails had all his plane fascinations in his head, and he wanted to room with Rotor so he could get help building it. Now that it was built, both Rotor and Tails wanted to move apart. Not that they couldn't get along; Tails just wanted to room with Sonic, and Rotor felt better off by himself. That was part of the reason he and Sonic had switched rooms for the night, the other part being the press. Now, Sonic and Tails approached the press from the opposite direction they expected them from. 

"Sonic, you're out there?" one reporter gawked. "But you're supposed to be... never mind. Would you care to give us a statement concerning the imminent appearance of the guardian?" 

To everyone's, including Tails', surprise, he answered, "Of course. In fact, me an' Tails will answer any and every question you guys throw at us on one condition: you catch us. Both of us." 

Tails looked confused for a minute. "Excuse me for a minute," he quickly said to the reporters. He turned his and Sonic's back to the press and spoke in a hushed whisper. "Sonic, what's the point in this? We'll easily outrun them in 5 seconds." 

"Ah, you should have gone on more raids in Robotropolis. The fun isn't in going as fast as you can; the fun is in going just fast enough that they can't catch you. Plus, you forgot I said both of us." 

"What are you suggesting?" 

"I'm suggesting..." Sonic looked over his shoulder, but, seeing the overabundance of ears and microphones, decided to use the silent approach. Talking directly to Tails' mind, he continued. I'm suggesting that one of us gets caught every once in a while. But, by the time the other gets caught, the first one has teleported out.> 

Ooo, sounds good. But we are going to answer at least a few questions, aren't we?> 

Yeah, I guess.> Sonic sounded mildly disappointed and turned to face the press, who were staring intently at him and Tails. "The hunt begins..." He paused for dramatic effect, "now." 

Sonic and Tails took off like twin bullets down the street. They didn't run at full speed; that would take all the fun out! As they approached the junction of Raphsody, their street, and Main, Sonic yelled out, "See ya real soon, li'l buddy!" and veered left. Tails just smiled and turned right. 

Tails was hovering backwards. The best way to taunt your opponent in a race, in his opinion, was to run backwards. Looking back, he saw that his opponent was nothing more than an averaged-sized news chopper. "Typical," he thought, turning himself around. He looked for something to propel himself into the air and found a horizontal, empty flagpole protruding from a nearby shop. Jumping up, he swung once around the pole and launched himself into the air where he began twirling his tails. He was now flying level with the helicopter, and it was gaining. "Not just yet!" he yelled over his shoulder as he poured on the speed and entered the heart of the city. 

Sonic was feeling his old, cocky self return and was heading down sidestreets and alleyways, but the bulky news van managed to follow him. Sonic looked back, saw the van, and plowed into a brick wall in a dead-end alley. The van blocked the entrance, so apparently he was trapped. The news crew realized this, and one reporter asked, "Alright, Sonic, we caught you fair and square, now are ya gonna come quietly?" 

"Nope," was his answer. He got as close to the truck as he dared then ran as fast as he could towards the wall. This time, however, he ran straight up the side and onto the roof. 

Tails, who had seen the whole thing from above, yelled down, "Cuttin' it kinda close, eh, buddy?" 

Sonic looked up. That chopper looked pretty close to Tails... "Yeah, well, it's a living," he yelled as he ran down the other side of the building. See if you can find that truck,> he added. I'm getting kinda tired.> 

Too late!> 

Sonic looked up in time to see Tails land in the helicopter with his hands up. "Punk!" he yelled as he sped off. 

The helicopter landed near the media "camp." Tails was forced out of the helicopter, and the crew marched him towards the center of camp. As he walked by someone on a CB radio, he heard the operator say, "Are you sure that's Sonic? I've got another van that says the same thing... No, they're south of Broad... I'm not doubting your integrity, I'm just..." 

"Hmm," Tails thought. "Shadow must be out for an early morning run. Might as well get him in on the game..." Looking around and seeing no prying eyes, he closed his and concentrated on a street corner a few blocks away. Suddenly, he felt all his senses go blank for a split second. When he opened his eyes, he was right where he wanted to be; his first teleport! He didn't have much chance to celebrate, though, since Shadow ran straight into him. 

"Quick, hide me!" he whispered frantically. Tails saw an SUV in the shadows nearby, and decided it would be a good place to hide Shadow long enough to tell him about the "hunt." He quickly airlifted him to its roof and contacted Sonic while he and Shadow waited for the press van to pass. 

Hey, Sonic. I'm getting Shadow involved! Some trucks saw him, thought he was you, and started chasing him!> 

How much are you telling him?> Sonic asked. 

Not everything, just enough to know why the trucks are going bonkers. Oh, by the way, I got out.> 

Teleported?> 

Yup.> 

Good, 'cause there's the van! Oh, man, I think I'm getting tired, don't think I can go on...> Sonic sent the last sentence laced with sarcasm, which caused Tails to chuckle. 

"What's so funny?" Shadow asked. 

"I'll tell you some other time. Now, about the news trucks..." 

* * *

The game continued long into the morning. By the time the 6 AM news came on, Sonic and Tails were still on fire from the adrenaline. Seeing the potential for disaster, however, if the fatigued drivers stayed on the road during rush hour, they decided to end it. They teleported to the "camp," announced their arrival and that they would answer five questions and only five questions. 

"Just five?" one reporter asked. 

"Yes. You have four questions remaining," Tails smartly remarked. 

"Now that's not fair!" another reporter yelled. 

"Yes, it is," Sonic said. "The exact same thing happened to me once, but I don't feel like telling the story right now..." 

"What happened?" 

"Oh, I was going along, same as always..." Sonic proceeded to tell the story of what happened when he got his millionth ring. To make the long story short, he got to ask a creature that supposedly knew it all one question. Naturally, Sonic asked, "Just one?" 

"Three questions," reminded Tails. 

"Any comments on the Guardian?" 

"Yes." 

A long pause followed. "Are you going to tell them to us?" asked a reporter who immediately regretted it. 

"Only if you ask me." 

"One question, and I suggest you actually ask something," Tails said. 

A female voice near the back yelled, "What are your plans with Princess Sally?" 

Sonic's quills began to turn a nice shade of purple. "Um... well... we're working with both families right now to... try... and... decideadateforthewedding. That's it; I'm not answering any more. You may now leave me and Tails alone." With that, Tails airlifted Sonic back to the apartment where the telephone was ringing.

Although both Sonic and Tails were ready to collapse on the bed/couch, Sonic picked up the phone in the name of politeness and answered groggily, "Hullo?" 

Princess Sally was on the other end. "There you are Sonic. I saw you on TV, and let me say you look really cute when you turn purple." 

Sonic responded by doing so. 

"Anyway," Sally continued, "what were you and Tails doing up all night? They said that they'd been chasing you for the past six hours!" 

"Yeah, well, I haven't really been able to get back in my groove since we toasted Eggman." 

"Well, you didn't cause any property damage, did you?" 

"No." 

"Good. Hey, did you want to go get lunch today? Say, sometime around one?" 

"How 'bout two, and can I bring Tails? We... got somethin' to tell you." 

"Why two?" 

"A hedgehog needs his beauty sleep," Sonic answered with a hint of feminine in his voice. 

"Ooookay. Where did you want to eat?" 

"How about... Downunda Steakhouse?" 

"I guess so. Sure. Okay, see you at two then?" 

"We'll see you. Bye." Sonic hung up the phone and looked at Tails. "You heard?" 

"Mm-hmm. Listen, I know you want to fall asleep right away, so just relax for a moment; I'm going to implant a little move in your mind so we can use it on each other." 

"What is it?" 

"You'll see. Now, on the count of three, use it on me. One, two, three." 

Both of them fired at the same time, and both of them fell asleep, not to awaken for seven hours. 

* * *

At the Downunda Steakhouse, Sonic, Sally, and Tails were sharing a "bloomin' onion" while they discussed what was going on: namely, the derobotisizer. "...Sir Charles says all he needs is a few months and an assistant, and Rotor already volunteered to help out. Just think, it's September now; we could have everyone back to normal by Christmas!" Sally gleefully reported. 

"Wonderful, Sally," Tails began. "Now, if you're done, I have something to report. But," he added, lowering his voice, "I need to make sure you can keep a secret. Can you?" 

"Of course I can. The only person I may have trouble with is Father, but I doubt he'll even care." 

Sonic sighed a frustrated sigh as Tails continued. "That's the problem. You see, this is something he wants to know about, but this isn't exactly the best time to tell him." 

"Why not? Tails, if you know something that Father should know-" 

"I can't tell him until he knows what it means! It's just... well... what has he said about the Guardian of Mobius?" 

"Well, from what I've been able to piece together, every 150 years or so a wizard rises up from an unknown location and attempts to overthrow the ruling party with Black magic. Mobius is usually subject to his iron-fisted rule until he dies. However, there was one Guardian who ushered in a reign of peace and prosperity and didn't resort to violence, but that was at least 1000 years ago." 

"What's your take?" Sonic asked. 

Sally thought, then answered, "Well, I can't really blame Father for wanting to shoot the next one on sight, but if he's come to take over the throne, I doubt a laser will do much good. And then there's always the possibility of him or her being on our side, so I guess we won't know until it happens." 

A long silence followed, broken by Sonic. "What if we told you we knew who the Guardian was, and that he was on our side?" 

"I'd ask who it was." 

"What about King Max?" 

"I'd tell him the Guardian was on our side, and not tell him who it was unless he believed me and acted accordingly." 

Sounds good enough to me, Guardian,> Sonic commented. 

Yeah, well, let me tell her.> Tails responded, then looked Sally straight in the eye. "I hope, for the sake of Mobius, that you've been telling the truth." Sally didn't blink. "Good. Now, what if we told you that I was the Guardian?" 

Sally lost her breath for a second, then said, "I'd say prove it." 

"Consider this proof." With that, a piece of fried onion flew off the loaf. Tails caught it with two fingers and casually ate it. 

"Showoff," Sonic muttered. Sally just blinked, her mouth hanging open. 

"No, you didn't see things," Tails said, pulling the stunt again. 

"What are you saying?" Sally finally asked. 

Tails just smiled. 

"You're the Guardian, aren't you?" A nod. "You got White magic, didn't you?" Another nod and silence. Sally sat in a daze as the enormity of the situation sunk in. Finally, having had enough, Sonic broke the silence with a loud cough. 

"Tails," he asked, "did you ever look at those photos?" 

"How could I? You pulled me out the door telling me to loosen up! But we can swing by the apartment after lunch and look at them." 

* * *

The three former Freedom Fighters were huddled around Tails' computer as he pulled up his photos from yesterday. "Here they are," announced Tails as he opened the file. It's image popped up on the screen and it was almost terrible to look at. It showed a massive excavation project, centered by a small metal building. 

Tails made a few keystrokes and a progress bar popped up on screen. "I'm gonna see if the satellite can take a picture inside the building. Maybe we can see who's doing all this." 

Suddenly, the computer gave a beep and shut itself off. Tails groaned. "Now I have to start it up all over again," he said, pressing the power button. 

"What happened?" Sally asked. 

"In order to take satellite photos, I tell the computer to hack into Robotnik's spy network. If someone finds out what I'm doing, the computer's programmed to shut itself off before anything can happen. Apparently, someone has control of the satellites again." By now, the computer was back online. Tails pulled up the half-formed file and gasped. 

Inside the building was a familiar-looking glass tube. Standing at the operating controls was a short overlander with a long nose and seven hairs on his head. 

It couldn't be. 

But it was. 

Sonic let out a loud "Awwwwwwww, maaaaaaaaaan!" Sally just stared. Tails dropped his head on the keyboard and moaned. After five minutes of this, Sally pulled out her phone. "I'll call everyone; we'll meet at Secret Service in half an hour." 

"Why there?" Sonic asked. 

"It's the best place for us to meet. I'll get us room 129, the pass code is KFF." 

"KFF?" 

"Knothole Freedom Fighters. It looks like we're getting back together..." Sally walked out while Tails continued his moaning. 

* * *

"Snively?!!!" 

Antone, Bunnie, Sonic, Tails, Rotor, Shadow, Mina, Amy, and Sally were meeting in a briefing room in Secret Service Headquarters, now designated for the KFF. No one was taking the news well. 

"After all we've done he thinks he can jes mosey on down here and start it up again?" Bunnie asked irritably. 

"This is a pretty bold move for Snively," Rotor answered. "I mean, there's no possible way he could move in like Robo-Robotnik did. We've isolated the main computer and shut it down, so he's got to be working for someone else." 

Antone appeared to be under a lot of stress. His accent was as thick as ever, and he even managed to throw in a little French. "Mais, zaire es no one pour 'im to go to. Either zaire is someone ve know nothing about, or il est tres fou! Je ne sais pas, ne sais pas..." 

"Calm down, Ant," said Amy Rose. "This may be a setup by Robo-robotnik, you know. According to what Sonic and Tails heard in the future, there was one body that we didn't destroy. Either that, or it's Ixis Nagus." 

"Yeah, well, don't jump to conclusions," added Mina. 

"Okay, I've heard everyone's reaction, now does anyone know what we can do about this?" Sally asked. 

Tails spoke up, his voice tinged with excitement. "Yeah. Me an' Sonic can go check it out once it gets dark. We can see what he's up to, and if we can, we'll take it out." 

"Are y'all shore that's a good idea?" Bunnie asked. "Ya got no idea what he's got down there." 

Sonic, Tails, and Sally looked at each other and smiled. "You tell them, Sally," Sonic said. 

* * *

Sonic and Tails each grabbed fifty rings to boost their level and started out towards the digging site. Night had fallen, and they were making their way by a small light Tails had made. 

"Now remember, Sonic. This is a spy mission, so don't trash any SwatBots unless-" 

"SURRENDER ALL HOPE AND PREPARE TO BE ROBOTISIZED IN THE NAME OF SNIVELY THE GREAT," a SwatBot droned. 

"Plan B!" Tails yelled as Sonic sliced the 'bot. They tore around the site, trashing every SwatBot in their way as they sped towards the building and forced their way in. 

"I've been expecting you," Snively said menacingly. "You cannot hope to defeat me, since you do not know the full scope of my plan or my power." 

Remember how to do a shield, Sonic?> Tails asked silently. We don't know what he's going to throw at us, so put one up.> 

Sonic addressed Snively. "Well, since we obviously can't defeat you, we might as well surrender now, right Tails?" 

"I know you're bluffing, Sonic. I should know you well enough by now. But, first things first..." Snively pushed a button on the console which blocked the entrance with a reinforced door, blocking all escape. 

"We're going to play a little game of mine," he continued. "I'm going to turn the lights off and fire blindly with this laser. The game ends when you step on the platform, activating the robotisizer." 

"How do we win?" Tails asked. 

"I didn't say this was a fair game." 

Do we really have a choice, li'l bro?> Sonic asked Tails. "Fine, we'll play," he said to Snively. 

"Very well," Snively answered as he turned off the few lights already on in the room. He began shooting in almost every direction rapidly enough that Sonic and Tails couldn't get close. That is, if they couldn't do a TK shield, a wall of energy held in place with telekenesis. 

Sonic and Tails stood there, playing along, hoping Snively would start bragging and give something away. After five minutes, however, the door opened and a decorated SwatBot walked in. "Your seventh emerald, Snively," it announced. 

Those are mine!> Tails mentally shouted. Summoning all his power, he formed another light. This time, however, it was an omnidirectional flood light. It fried the optic sensor of the 'bot and temporarily blinded Snively, but he continued shooting. Tails saw the open compartment with the other six emeralds. Grabbing them and the SwatBot's emerald, he glanced back at Snively to make sure he still couldn't see, and Tails froze. 

Snively's shadow had horns on his head and a fishhook for a left hand. 

Sonic and Tails both saw the shadow. Both wondered how it happened, but only one actually did something. As Tails began to absorb the emeralds, the light faded away for a second... 

Snively opened his eyes. There was a faint glow coming from the other end of the room. He stopped firing to get a better look, and, to his surprise, Sonic didn't attack. He just stood there looking smug. 

"Alright, Ixis Egg Nog, I don't know how you did it, but I do know you're going back NOW," said a strong voice from the glowing end of the room. There stood Tails, in his Turbo cloak, both his eyes fixed on Snively; no trace of the sweet, innocent little kitsune could be found. 

Snively, or Ixis, laughed. "Do you honestly think a few emeralds scare me? I'm surprised you took them instead of Sonic." 

"You don't understand, do you Ixis? You know have a new Guardian of Mobius to answer to. Me." 

"I'm still not scared. You can't hurt me; in fact, I'm not really here. Snively was foolish enough to allow me to take control of him, and he is a faithful servant, isn't he?" 

"Man, you don't stop at anything, do you Icky?" To Sonic, he added, Get ready to go. I'm having trouble controlling all this power.> As he spoke, the walls of the small building began to shake... 

* * *

The entire digging operation was blown sky high. Snively, unconscious but no longer under Ixis' control, was being carried by Sonic. Tails soared, using the energy from the emeralds to move forward while using his tails to hover. After a while he landed next to Sonic and the two started walking. 

"Man," Tails began, "I really hope Eggman comes back. 'Cause when he does..." He jabbed his fists to illustrate his point. 

Sonic was much more sober. "What happened down there? It was all so fast." 

"Well, I think Ixis wanted Snively to dig out that part of the forest for emeralds. Once he had 7, he'd be able to exit the Zone of Silence more powerful than ever. I think this just proves that he's not about to give up." 

"Yeah, but we're not gonna let 'im out, right, Tails?" 

No answer. 

"Tails?!" Sonic whirled around and saw Tails enveloped by a white light, his fur being blown by a wind coming from... somewhere. 

"Don't worry, it's magic of some kind. I'll contact you as soon as I can!" Tails yelled, then he was gone. 

To make matters worse, Sinvely began to come to. "Oh, no you don't; I gotta get you to Bunnie and Ant first!" Sonic said as he used his sleeping move on Snively and walked on toward Mobotropolis, alone. 

* * *

- www.madcrasher.com - 


	6. Family Matters

**Family Matters**

Sonic and all related elements are © Sega and Archie Comics. I am not affiliated with these parties, nor do I desire to. Used without permission. 

Antithesis, Alex and Mary Prower are © MC Bomberman and may not be used without permission. 

This story is ©2002 MC Bomberman, all rights reserved. May not be freely distributed. 

* * *

Tails was surrounded by a blinding white light. "Let me guess," he thought, "I'm gonna end up in the future and some dude's gonna come along saying he needs my help." The light faded; but instead of a dystopic future, Tails found himself in a small wood standing next to- 

"Merlin!" Tails said. "Would you mind telling me what that was?" 

"Hello to you, too," Tails' uncle said. "That was a summons. It's kind of like a reverse teleport. Now, tell me, are you in the middle of anything important?" 

"Not really, why?" 

"Because I think it's high time you met your parents. That, and I need to teach you a few moves." 

That last sentence never registered with Tails. All he heard was that he was meeting his parents. So they were alive! A flood of questions flooded his mind. What did they do? How were they like? Did he have a sibling? Two? Where had they been all this time? Was Merlin talking to him? 

"Are you listening to a word I'm saying, Miles?" Merlin asked. 

"Huh?" 

"I said, I'm going to give you a few emerald moves. You aren't going to be very helpful if you don't know any." 

"Well, what about what I did back at Snively's dumphouse?" Tails asked. 

"That wasn't so much a move as it was a release of energy. You need to learn to control and focus it. Since you're the Guardian, you can focus it into different elements such as fire, water, ice, you know." 

Tails nodded. "Is it going to take very long?" 

Merlin shook his head. "No, I can implant the moves using telepathy, then you can sleep on it and let your brain sort it out." He motioned towards a nearby house. "C'mon, let's go inside." 

* * *

Half an hour later found both Prowers sitting in Merlin's living room, Merlin having already "taught" Tails the promised moves. Tails had de-powered and was no longer Turbo Tails, yet he held the emerald's energy inside him, ready to activate with the slightest thought. Merlin and Tails were now discussing whatever questions Tails came up with, ranging from the origin of the universe to previous Guardians. "So," Tails asked, "is there life on other planets?" 

"Sort of," Merlin replied. "You see, it's highly unlikely that life evolved onto any other planet in our system since no other planet is the correct distance from the sun, no other planet has an atmosphere, et cetera. What I do know for a fact is that there are parallel universes." 

"Which brings in those 'World Hoppers' you mentioned last night?" 

"Well, I talked it over with an expert friend of mine on the entire concept, and it seems I wasn't completely right in my description. It was a little too simplified." 

"How so?" 

"Well, it turns out that there is one 'universe' that is a sort of central hub for diplomatic and economic activity between universes. The species native to that one is the one who controls the Guardian device." 

"But what about the incognito part? You know, the being able to assume the form of a native species upon arrival?" 

Merlin smiled. "Well, there is probably only one such being, and my expert doubts there are any others. So the thing I told you about the magic and 'World Hoppers' was wrong as well." 

"And I wouldn't know this being by looking at it?" 

"Most likely no. At first glance and to all outward appearances, it's a normal Mobian, but I bet that if you got to know it you would be able to figure it out by its personality. Anyway, last my expert heard it was working as a diplomat." 

Tails shot a clever look at Merlin. "Do you know who it is?" 

"No, and when I asked my expert about it, he said he was sworn to secrecy and shut up faster than an electric light being shut off. You might like that kid; you're meeting him tomorrow, anyway." 

"Related?" 

"No, and be thankful! He's just really good friends with your dad. Which reminds me, you need some sleep. Got a big day ahead of us tomorrow!" 

Tails gave a mock frown and walked off to his bedroom for the night, looking forward to the next day. A single question lingered in his mind, which he put forward. "Merlin," he asked, "if we really evolved by chance, if our planet came about by chance, then..." He struggled with the words. "...why are we here? Why am I here?" 

Merlin smiled. "Still not off your identity crisis? Don't worry, Tails, you are every bit the nephew I want. Now go on to bed." 

Tails nodded and shut the door. He crashed on the bed and was about to fall asleep when he realized Merlin had side stepped the question! For a minute he considered getting up and asking him again, but a small, subtle voice that was more inaudible than telepathy "said" that this might be a good question to ask his father tomorrow. Satisfied, Miles Prower rolled over and fell asleep. 

* * *

The next day dawned bright and early. Tails, sans cloak, and Merlin, with cloak, had teleported to a location out in an area of Mobius Tails didn't recognize. A small town could be seen in the near distance, and they began walking. The town itself appeared relatively ancient yet lively, giving it a sense of character. 

Appearances can be misleading, however. 

Merlin and Tails were nonchalantly walking down Main street, not trying to draw attention to themselves, when a police squad car drove by. The driver took one look at Tails and stopped. 

"You! Hands on your head, now!" he yelled, jumping out of the car and pointing a laser pistol at Tails, who quickly complied. "Didn't I tell you never to come back here?" the cop asked. 

Tails glanced behind himself, found no one, and answered, "I've never been here in my life as far as I know, unless this is Sand Blast City?" 

"It's not," Merlin said. Turning to the officer, he asked, "May I ask what all this is about? 

"Yeah," the cop cooly answered. "I'm trying to have a nice, clean town here, and I've seen this troublemaker before. I told him to get out of town, and if he ever came back, I'd arrest him. Here he is, and," he turned to Tails, "you are under arrest. You have the right to remain silent..." 

For a split second, Tails considered teleporting away, but that same subtle voice that spoke to him the night before presented the idea that it would be better if he went willingly while he wasn't in any real trouble. If he resisted arrest, he would actually be breaking a law; if he didn't, the police were the only ones breaking the law. 

Merlin whispered to Tails with his mind. 

Tails responded, to Merlin's surprise, with the same logic the voice had given him. By the time he finished, the "officer" motioned for him to get in the car, which Tails obediently did. 

Merlin just stared, not knowing what to do. 

* * *

While Tails was in the car, yet another voice called to his mind, this one much more familiar. Sonic said, 

Tails mentally kicked himself for not remembering to call Sonic! he replied, 

Tails replied halfheartedly. Sonic didn't reply, and he kicked himself again, this time for not telling Sonic the whole story. "Smooth, Miles," he thought, "real smooth." 

* * *

By the time Tails had been taken into custody, two other figures were making their way to the prison house. One was 40-some-odd years old, tall, and a deep orange. The other was a little shorter, about 15, and maroon. Both were foxes. "So," the younger asked, " tell me again what we're doing, Mr. Prower?" 

"Call me Alex, AT," Mr. Prower replied. "I have reason to suspect that there is an act of racial profiling in progress. I just heard on the police band radio that someone was arrested who fit a gang profile, yet no such profiles have been made." 

"And the rest of the force is going along with it?" 

"Anything that will get them some money." 

AT sighed. "So we're going to find out the story behind this guy?" 

Alex nodded as they stepped inside the precinct. "Hopefully," he continued, "we'll be able to get enough information for Mr. Bostic to take a look at this case." 

The desk clerk asked for their business, but Alex simply raised his hand and said, "Visiting." 

* * *

Tails, meanwhile, had gone Turbo for the sole purpose of hiding his tails under his cloak. He had heard an officer mention something about keeping freaks off the streets, so he (correctly) assumed that he was arrested simply because of his genetic modification. He was sitting on a bench near the front of the cell, not in a good mood at all, when Alex and AT walked in. 

AT jumped at the sight of Tails. "Mi-Tails?" he asked, catching himself. 

Alex and Tails both stared at AT. "How do you know who he is?" Alex asked. 

"Yeah," Tails added, "I've never seen you before, either." 

AT held up a hand. "Sorry, it's just that Merlin has so many pictures of you and has told me so much about you it feels like I know you already. Name's Antithesis, call me AT. This is my friend Alex. Alex, Tails. Tails, Alex." They each reached through the bars to shake Tails' hand, and Tails returned each. 

"How do you know Merlin?" Tails asked. 

"Oh, he taught me a few magic tricks and I told him a few bits and pieces about inter-dimensional travel and the Guardian device, nothing much," AT said with a shrug, as if it wasn't that much of a difference. 

"Why would Merlin have so many pictures of him?" Alex asked. 

AT hesitated. "Um, well, he's... a very good student of Merlin's. You know about the chosen Guardian of Mobius? This guy's it." 

Alex nodded hesitantly, as if he only half understood. 

Tails was confused. Why didn't AT go right out and say Merlin was his uncle? Wait.. didn't Merlin say the "expert" was a friend of his father's? Tails looked at Alex one more time. Was he really... 

As if in response to his uncommunicated question, AT spoke to Tails' mind. Out loud, he added, "So, Tails, what are you in for?" 

"Nothing I know of," Tails replied. "The guy said something about having warned me not to come back even though I've never been here before. Next thing I know I'm in the squad car." 

"Did you resist arrest?" 

"No, though I almost wish I had." 

AT stood up. "It's a good thing you didn't," he continued, "Now we can make a much better argument since the police have no legal grounds to hold you here. You two chill for a while; I'll go get the lawyer." He walked out, winking to Tails on his way. 

Alex decided to make conversation. "So, where are you from, Tails?" 

"Mobotropolis. Newly liberated two weeks ago." 

Alex's face lit up. "Say, you wouldn't happen to know a kid about... your age named Miles Prower, would you?" 

Tails wasn't sure if he could completely trust AT, or Alex for that matter and decided to keep a ruse up. "No offense," he said, "but I don't exactly want to tell the wrong person this guy's whereabouts. Too many people are looking for him, you know." 

Alex nodded. "I understand. He's got two tails, right? I want to make sure we're talking about the same Miles." 

Tails smiled. "Yeah, he's got two of 'em all right." 

"People don't tease him about it, do they?" 

"No, they've kinda gotten used to it." 

Alex sighed. "That's good. You see, I'm his father." 

If Tails was surprised, Alex didn't notice. "Go on," he pressed. 

"When you see him, tell him I'm here and that I love him." 

"You can tell him yourself," Tails said with a smile. 

Alex's confusion lasted only a moment as Tails de-turboed, leaving his twin tails in plain sight. He voice was barely a whisper, cracked with emotion. "I never told you my real name," he said quietly, "but it's Miles Prower." 

Alex was shocked. "Miles?" he asked, just as quietly. 

Tails nodded. "Please, call me Tails." 

* * *

Mr. Bostic was a hedgehog with a piercing gaze, yet he was quite agreeable as long as you weren't against him in court. "So, let me see if I got the right," he asked AT. "Mr. Prower was arrested without cause knowledgeable to himself, and a third party, you, heard the officer in question making racial slurs against 'mutants.' Charges have not been filed, nor has Mr. Prower been informed of the cause of his detention, and the 30-minute deadline for charge filing passed-" he checked his watch "-five minutes ago." 

AT nodded. "I'd like to get him out today. There's a family reunion going on inside the detention center, and it'd be better if it was in a more agreeable location." 

The lawyer smiled. "I've been hoping for someone to come along with the sense not to fight back. Now we have proof that this police force is corrupt." 

AT cocked his head. "Doesn't this go all the way up to the mayor?" 

"Yes, but this is an election year, and I seriously doubt that he wants this little incident to come up during a debate. He's an elected official, and that means that we can threaten to tell the public about his doings and he'll listen to us." He pressed his intercom button. "Miss Nelson, get me the mayor on the phone." 

* * *

Alex and Tails talked for the longest time, each getting caught up on each other's news. Rumors had reached Alex of the adventures of a pair of heros known only as "Sonic and Tails," so all Tails had to do was let him know that Sonic was Sir Charles' nephew, the one from whom Shadow's DNA was taken, and Alex understood everything. Finally, Tails asked one of the hard questions: "Dad, how come I haven't seen you until now?" 

Alex hung his head. "I'll start from the beginning, okay? As you know, I was in the top science department with the Acorns. Being there, I saw Julian's rise to power. I couldn't just drop everything and leave, so I wanted your mother (her name's Mary, by the way) to take you someplace safe, but she refused to leave me in danger. Finally, my brother Merlin (who you've apparently met) offered to get you to a safe place along with Sonic, Sally, and everyone else. We found out later that he dropped you off at the king's juvenile protection center where you met most of your friends from Knothole. 

"Anyway, when we finally did get out of the city and tried to pick you up, the place was razed. Worse, we found no trace of you or any of the other children. We would have searched the place throughly, but there were still SWATbots patrolling the area. We finally made it to this town, and we haven't left since we don't really have any place to go. 

Tails' eyes twinkled. "Uncle Chuck- Sir Charles- is working on a derobotisizer, and he could probably use your help. I can call Sonic and have him reserve you guys an apartment for another month or so, or even permanently. I'm sure King Acorn would love to have you back." 

Alex considered the idea. "It sounds okay. How soon can you get an apartment?" 

Tails shook his head. "Not long. There is an overabundance of single bedroom apartments, and that's really all you need, since I've got a pad with Sonic. It is just you and Mom, right?" 

Alex nodded. "How are you going to call Sonic?" 

Tails flashed a wicked grin. "I'm a telepath now, remember?" When Alex looked confused, Tails replied with, "Ask AT about it, he knows more about it than I do." 

"Knows more about what?" AT asked, apparently having just teleported. 

Alex turned and shuddered. "Don't do that to me. Um, I think it's about the Guardian?" 

AT explained the Guardian deal to Alex while Tails contacted Sonic. After five minutes, all the affairs were straightened out. The only thing left was to get Tails out of the prison house. "And that," AT said, "is going to make this a day to remember." 

* * *

Alex walked up to the desk where the officer in charge of detention was sitting while Tails and AT watched from the side. "I'd like to know on what charges the prisoner in block two is being held," Alex said cooly. 

"That's very nice," the officer replied, "but I really can't tell you." 

"Could you at least tell him?" Alex pointed at Tails. 

"Nope. He knows very well what he did, and now he's paying the price for it." 

"I'd like to see the formal sentence from the judge, if you don't mind?" 

The guard ignored him, even though Alex repeated himself twice. 

"All right," Alex said, lowering his voice, "what do you want?" 

The guard smiled. "Now you're speaking my language." 

"So if I offered you a bribe, you'd take it." 

"I'm not asking for a bribe, I'm just asking you two pay his bail." 

"What would you say if I said I was bugged?" 

The guard was shocked. "Are you?" 

"I never said I was. I only asked what you would say if I was." 

"Well... I'd... ask you to pay his bail. There, do your worst, you can't hurt me." 

Alex turned and began to walk out the door, but instead opened it and let in Mr. Bostic and a very pompous looking squirrel, apparently the mayor. 

"This is where the fun begins," AT whispered to Tails. 

The mayor walked up to the desk. He and the guard mumbled between themselves for a good while, and neither of them looked very happy. Finally, the guard looked at Alex and said, "Your friend may go. We sincerely apologize for this... incident and hope it doesn't happen again." 

Alex nodded. "Just one correction," he said. "He's my son." 

* * *

Half an hour later found all three Prowers and AT standing in the shadow of the Sky-Hover 543, which Tails now referred to simply as "The 543." While Alex and Mary had packed their few belongings, Tails had teleported to Mobotropolis and gotten the plane. Mary was now showering her long-lost son with hugs and kisses, much to Alex and AT's amusement. 

When he could breathe again, Tails asked, "Okay, how are we going to do this. We've got four people, but only three seats. I would fly alongside, but I'm also the only one here who can fly this contraption. Any suggestions?" 

"You can fly?" asked Alex. "Is that another 'Guardian' thing?" 

"Not really," Tails answered, using his tails to hover a few feet off the ground, much to his father's amusement and his mother's horror. 

"Get down before you break your neck!" she nearly yelled. 

"But we are still left with the issue at hand," AT said as Tails landed. 

Tails closed his eyes for a few seconds, then asked Alex, "Can this guy here be trusted to fly a plane?" 

"I can't fly a plane," AT answered. 

"What if I taught you?" 

"How are you going to do that in the space of five minutes?" 

Tails tapped his head. "It's just like learning a new move, right?" 

AT nodded in understanding. "Okay, just like in the Matrix." Seeing the confused looks on everyone's faces, he added, "It's a movie, don't worry about it." 

Tails nodded in mock understanding. "Can he be trusted with my plane?" he asked Alex again. 

Alex shrugged. "I guess. You mean he won't try any reckless stunts with it? Sure." 

Tails turned once again to AT. "Alright, AT, this will determine whether I can trust you with anything or not. No pressure. Hold still." 

* * *

Alex and Mary moved into their apartment without much hassle. Shadow came and visited for a minute, eager to see the other scientist that made him. Sonic and Sally were introduced as well. Sally had tried to have her brother Elias stop by for a visit, but he was reportedly busy. AT also met Sonic and Sally and offered his services, to which Sally answered he could come to the next meeting of the Freedom Fighters that night. AT and Sonic were now attempting to make conversation, but they were having a hard time finding a common denominator. 

"Do you like computers?" AT asked. 

Sonic shuddered. "Not really. I find them too slow for me." 

"They're getting faster..." 

"I meant it would take too long for me to learn how to use one, that's all. Learning curve's too steep, knowadimean?" 

AT nodded. "How 'bout music, do you like that?" 

"Definitely!" Sonic's face lit up. 

"What kind?" 

"It doesn't matter as long as it isn't disco, rap, or country. Anything goes for me." 

"Well, I just so happen to have..." AT reached into his backpack and pulled out a snow-white laptop. He switched it on, made a few swishes with the mouse, and pointed the screen at Sonic. "You've probably never heard of these bands; I'm into a pretty obscure genre, but pick a song." 

Sonic pointed at one. "What's this one: 'A.M.'?" 

AT rotated the laptop. "You like loud stuff? This one's pretty loud. Got any headphones? My speakers aren't that good." 

Sonic ran off and got back two seconds later with a pair of cushy headphones. AT plugged them in and handed the laptop to Sonic. "Move your finger along this to move that arrow," he explained, "tap the pad to select a song, then press the big key to play it..." 

* * *

Tails was a few minutes late for the Freedom Fighter meeting that night, but that really didn't matter. Bunnie and Antione, who had both been made members of the Royal Guard, were reporting on Snively's questioning. "The most we were able to get out of him was he found a way to look into the Zone of Silence," Bunnie said. "When he tried it, everything went blank and he woke up in our prison." 

"It would appear zat Ixis was able to control Sinvely's mind from inside the Zone," Antione continued. "Zis could be very problematic in ze future." 

"I wouldn't put it beyond him that he's gotten enough magic to control people across the void," Sonic said. "He's probably got more than enough hate." 

"Just a sec," AT interrupted. "This is Ixis Nagus you're talking about, right?" Heads nodded. "I think he was one of the more recent Guardians. You have to make sure he doesn't get his hands on a set of emeralds." 

Tails was taken aback. "How old is this freak?" he asked. 

AT shrugged. "All I know is that he can not get seven emeralds or else we're sunk. Me, Sonic, and Tails' levels are only so high..." 

"Okay, I think we've heard enough on that subject," Sally put in. "Rotor, can you give us a report on the Derobotisizer?" 

"Well," Rotor began, "Uncle Chuck has all the equipment he needs, he has the original diagrams, but he keeps going on about how much better it would be if he had his old wartime partner." 

"Alex Prower," Shadow said. "I was engineered by him and Sir Charles during the Overlander-Mobian war, remember?" 

"Well, there's not much we can do about that, now is there?" Mina said gloomily. 

Sonic groaned. Ever since Mina had seen Sonic propose to Sally she had had a perpetual dark cloud over her head and couldn't shake it off. Her pessimistic mood may have worn off on everyone else if Tails hadn't spoke up. 

"Actually..." he began, then turned to AT. "AT, take Dad down to the lab next to the palace. You know where I'm talking about?" AT nodded and walked out. "Guess who I found today?" Tails added to the group. 

Many mouths were left hanging open. 

* * *

Sir Charles, commonly known as "Uncle" Chuck, was overworking himself. Being one of the first to be robotisized, his circuits were not capable of extensive work for prolonged periods of time. Every so often, he'd have to sit down and give his brain a rest; it was a Robian's version of sleep. He was i this state when a pari of foxes walked into the lab. Spying Uncle Chuck, the older one sighed. 

"Even when he's a robot, he still can't stay awake. Do you think he'll wake up?" 

The younger looked at the older. "You're asking the wrong person." 

The older just smiled, then grabbed Charles' shoulders and shook him gently. 

"CHARLES!" he yelled. 

Uncle Chuck snapped back on. 

"You fell asleep again," the fox said quietly. 

Charles gave the illusion of blinking. "Is it really you, Alex?" 

Alex nodded. "Shadow came by for a visit and told me about you. We're working on a derobotisizer now?" 

"Yes, and I can't do it without you." 

"It'll be just like old times." 

"No, better. Julian isn't breathing down our necks this time." 

Neither of them saw AT leave the building. He began walking back to the building where the Freedom Fighters had just concluded their meeting. He quickly spotted Tails and ran up to him. "So," he asked, "you and your Dad catching up?" 

"Yeah," Tails responded, a little disappointedly. "I asked him one of the tough questions, and now I'm more confused than ever." 

"Tough questions?" 

"I asked what the meaning of life was, seeing as how I've been struggling with that very question for a while." 

"Yeah," AT nodded, "Merlin told me about that." 

Tails gave a weak smile and continued. "Thing is, Dad didn't give me any of that Evolution stuff, he said something about a Creator and a bunch of other stuff that flew right past my head." 

AT chuckled. "Yeah, scientists do have a tendency to use big words. But I know where he's coming from and it's pretty sound, so you may want to ask him again some other time." 

Tails shrugged. "Maybe later." 

Merlin walked up to them, seemingly out of nowhere. "Ah, so I see you've met Antithesis already, Tails?" 

Tails nodded. "So he's your expert?" 

Merlin nodded. "He's also one of my best students." 

AT silently whispered to Tails. 

"The thing is, his potential level, how much magic he actually has as opposed to his skill level, is off the charts. I keep asking how it got so high, and he keeps side stepping the question." 

"I do not side step the question, you just won't accept my answer!" AT said. 

"By my book, you side step the question by giving me a bunch of religious mumbo-jumbo." Merlin checked his watch. "Oops, better run. Tails, I'm sorry for abandoning you earlier today." 

"No problem. Things turned out pretty good in the end anyway, maybe even better," Tails answered as Merlin took off. 

AT turned to Tails. "Tails, I've gotta run too. Hopefully I'll be back sometime tomorrow, but if not, don't worry." 

Tails nodded. "Where are you going?" 

AT donned a mischevious grin. "I can't exactly tell you. Maybe later, but not now." He walked off. 

Tails turned around, but he was nowhere to be found. "Must have teleported," he thought. 

* * *

Elias Acorn paced his room slowly. His bags were packed, Knuckles was waiting, so why hadn't he gone yet? He knew very well why. He couldn't leave without telling his parents, and he was too afraid of their reaction. He finally decided that their reaction couldn't be much worse than the fate that awaited him: living a sheltered life in a castle being pampered before assuming the throne when he wasn't even the sword-chosen heir. Summoning his resolve, he walked towards the room where they were sitting. 

"Ah, Elias," King Acorn said when Elias entered. "Have a seat. Your mother and I were discussing- you, in fact. Tell me, how's your ability with the Sword of Acorns coming along." 

"It's not. I can't use it," Elias said bluntly. 

"Ah, don't give up so easily. Now, if you can be reasonably competent within about six mon-" 

"I've never been able to use it," Elias interrupted. 

The King finally looked Elias in the eye. "You look like you have something to say, son. Well, say it!" 

Elias took a deep breath. "As I'm sure you know, according to custom, if the Sword of Acorns favors a female or second-born child of the King over the traditional first-born male, then it is the duty of the favored child to assume the role of first-in-line to the throne and for the current heir to step down. Sally can control the sword, not me. She should be next in line for the throne, not me." 

The King nodded. "I see," he said, causing Elias' heart to leap for joy, but the next sentence brought it back down to earth. "Now, back to what I was saying. It is usually customary for the future monarch to use the sword to-" 

"Did you listen to a word I said?" Elias interrupted, this time with a slightly raised voice. 

"Elias!" the Queen said sharply. "Don't yell at your father. He has your best interests in mind." 

"Quite right," the King said, continuing with his speech. But before he could get another sentence in edgewise, Elias spoke again, this time in the most regal voice he could muster. 

"I, Elias Acorn, hereby renounce my claim to the throne of Acorn and pass my rights on to the choice of the Sword of Acorns." 

The King and Queen stared at Elias, speechless. 

"Good, you're finally listening," the prince remarked sarcastically. "Neither of you know I don't like being cooped up in castles my entire life. Neither of you know or care to accept the fact that I cannot use the Sword of Acorns. Neither of you know that my sister is a far more capable leader than I am because of her past experience in the war. Neither of you-" Elias broke off. Almost a year's worth of emotion was finally able to come to the surface, and he was barely able to make his speech. "Neither of you know me. Plain and simple. Why? Because I talk and talk and try to get through, but neither of you listen. You do it to Sally, too. She says 'Maybe we should let Sonic know about this,' you say 'No, we don't need that riffraff messing around on Royal business.' You both... no, I've said too much. My point is, Father, that I'm leaving the castle. I'm leaving Mobotropolis and going to live on the Floating Island. I'm keeping the name Acorn, so maybe I'll encourage diplomatic relations with the guardians. I'm leaving behind my title because it is no use to me. I would just pack up and go, but I stopped here to tell you because... because I don't want to leave with misunderstandings between us." 

A long silence followed, broken by the King. "I'm sorry Elias," he said finally. "I didn't realize all the pain I was causing you. But... if your sister marries as she intends, then Sonic the Hedgehog will be next in line after me. Please stay if just to prevent that." 

Elias shook his head. "I don't think you know Sonic very well. He and Sally are perfect for each other, and from what I've seen, he does have a sense of responsibility when it comes to the big things." 

"Anything else you need to get off your chest before you... go?" 

"Yes: that I love you both very much. Don't take all this the wrong way, I just have cold feet, that's all. I'll stay in touch, don't worry. All I ask is that you be a little more aware of reality, that's all." 

The Queen got up and gave Elias a hug. "I'll miss you," she said. "You sure I can't convince you to stay for just one more night?" 

"Afraid not. I promised Knuckles I'd be there a week from tomorrow, and I'm going on foot most of the way. It's for the adventure!" he added, seeing the surprised look on his parents' faces. 

"Go with my blessing," the King added, "and may your paths be straight." 

Elias gave his father a kiss, the customary farewell among Acorns. "I'll send word as soon as I reach the Island," he said, then walked out the door. 

On his way out he passed Sally. He gave her a quick hug and said, "See you later." 

Sally gave him a confused look, but he was already on his way out. She walked into the room where her parents were, and their faces told her everything. 

Sally was now next in line to the throne. 

* * *

- www.madcrasher.com - 


	7. Safety in the Storm

**Safety in the Storm**

Sonic and all related elements are © Sega and Archie Comics. I am not affiliated with these parties, nor do I desire to. Used without permission. 

The mysterious Lion is © MC Bomberman and may not be used without permission, although he is based on Aslan from C. S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia. 

This story is ©2002 Evan H. All rights reserved. May not be freely distributed. 

* * *

Tails lay awake in bed trying to make sense of all the questions swirling around in his head. "Athiar said we evolved," he thought, "Merlin said we evolved, but Dad said we were created. Athiar said I'm not anything, Merlin said I'm the Guardian, and Dad said I'm whoever I was created to be. Athiar and Merlin essentially say there is no purpose in life, but if we were created like Dad said, then whoever did it must have some purpose for me. But what is it?" Tails sighed. All his questions that had come up while he was in the future were resurfacing. The biggest problem to him was that he couldn't see or touch any of his problems or answers; they were all theory. 

Frustrated, he sank his head back into his pillow and attempted to sleep so his brain could process all of his questions. When he finally did fall asleep, however, he got much more than he bargained for. 

He found himself standing in a shadow. The light causing the shadow was not more than two feet away from him, and Tails could feel the heat radiating from it. He reached out his hand (which was missing its glove) towards the light, but the moment his fingertip exited the shadow Tails pulled his hand back in pain. 

"You cannot enter the Light on your own," a voice behind him said. 

Tails turned around to find a Mobian lion standing behind him, his mane flowing in a small breeze and himself clad in a simple white robe. "It is the Light above all lights," he explained, "and it purifies anything it touches." 

"What do you mean, 'purifies'?" Tails asked. 

"It removes all darkness. Your problem is that you have darkness inside you, and it would kill you if you entered the Light." 

Tails was confused. "But I thought I chose light magic?" 

The lion smiled. "You have chosen to use love instead of hate, yet hate and malice still exist in you." 

Tails tried to argue, but somehow he knew that the lion was right. He looked around himself at the shadows, then he turned and looked at the Light. For some reason, he didn't know why, he knew that the Light was the answer to all his questions. 

He turned back to the lion and asked, "Is there any way for me to enter the Light?" 

"If you truly desire it," he replied, "I will protect you." 

"What do you mean?" 

"I will protect you, and the Light will purify you but will not kill you. It will hurt, but the outcome will be far greater than anything you can imagine." 

"What's the catch?" Tails asked, expecting something outrageous. 

"All I ask is that you realize that I am the only way to the Light. If you try on your own, you will die," the Lion replied, much to Tails' surprise. 

Tails took another good look at the Lion. His eyes were kind, yet burning with an intensity he had never seen before. "How can you do this?" Tails asked. 

"I can take your darkness away from you." 

"But... won't it hurt you?" 

The Lion stiffened. "I've been killed, and even that couldn't stop me. In fact, it is because of that my Father, who is the Source of the Light, allows me to do this." 

"It's going to hurt, isn't it?" 

The Lion nodded slowly. 

"But..." Tails was confused once again, "Why would you go through all that pain for me? I never even knew you existed until now, or cared for that matter." 

The Lion gave another gentle smile. "I don't want you to wander around in the dark forever. I'm willing to do this because I love you. I love you as a father to his lost son. I love you as a shepherd to his sheep. I love you more than you love Sonic, if that tells you anything." He held his arms wide open. "Will you come with Me?" He asked. 

Tails walked towards the Lion, Who never changed his pose. All around himself, Tails felt despair, confusion, and every other emotion his depression threw at him. But from the Lion he felt safety, calm, Love, and peace. Slowly, he reached out his hand towards Him, and the Lion reached down to Tails. 

If Sonic, Sally, or any of the other freedom fighters had seen this, they wouldn't have seen the war-scarred Guardian from the past day but the cheerful six-year-old from when Robotnik had first taken over. The six-year-old whose bright face had broken through the cloudiest day. The six-year-old who now had a face full of excitement as he was held by a Lion two times his size. 

Suddenly, a beam of Light shone on the two of them. For an instance Tails was reminded of the light that he had felt when he became Guardian. This feeling quickly passed, however, since this Light pierced even deeper, seeming to expose every dark thought, every evil inclination, but as it did, Tails felt it suddenly disappear. He guessed it was the Lion, since he felt Him cringe in pain every time it happened. 

After ten minutes, or ten hours, of the, the Lion stuck out one hand and gave a sharp cry. A jet of flame shot out of the hand, and it appeared to feed of of darkness itself. When it went out, the Lion said softly, "It is finished." 

"What was that?" Tails asked, his eyes still wide. 

The Lion turned to face Tails, his face radiant. "That was the darkness I removed from you, Miles," He explained. "Now it has been erased from all knowledge. As far as My Father is concerned, it never existed." 

Tails didn't mind being called Miles this time. The danger had passed, and he felt safe in the Lion's arms, wholly surrounded by Light. After a while, though, the Lion continued. 

"We must not dally, Miles," he said in his kind voice. 

Tails looked up, sadness evident in his face. "Do I have to leave you so soon?" 

The Lion shook his head. "You never have to. If you go to the depths of the ocean, I am there. If you make your camp in the mountains, I am there. I will never leave you or forsake you, and no matter where you are, I will always be there to hold you, guide you, and protect you, like I did today. I promise." 

"You were that voice?" Tails asked, surprised. 

The Lion nodded. "Miles, when you came into the Light, my Father took you as his son. Now, in a way, we are brothers, and we cannot be separated." 

"Are there any others?" Tails asked. 

"Yes. Your parents are some, Antithesis is another. And I believe you've met James and Michael?" 

"How do you know about them? They don't even exist yet!" 

"Time is no boundary for me. Unfortunately, it is for you, and it is almost time for you to wake up." 

"I'm dreaming?" 

"Yes, this is a dream, but it's really happening. Understand?" 

Tails nodded. 

"But before you go, I want to give you something." He took a deep breath and continued. "A new evil is about to threaten Mobius. I give you the gift of leadership. I'm not saying you will govern the planet, but you will lead them to victory." 

"But... well... that's always been Sonic or Sally's department..." Tails protested, but the Lion silenced him. 

"Don't worry; I will give you strength to handle any challenge that comes your way." He gave Tails one final smile. "It's time for you to go back now. Tell others about what happened tonight; don't keep it inside you." 

Images started to fade away. Tails awoke to a brand new day feeling like a brand new person. No longer unsure about his identity or his purpose, he was ready to face anything the world threw at him. 

* * *

- www.madcrasher.com - 


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